Their World
by Rylak
Summary: Join the epic struggle to survive in a multiverse gone bad. Will you cheer for the forces of good, like Jack O'Neill, Miles Prower, Ayanami Rei, and Malcolm Reynolds, or will you champion the evil, like the Condescension, the Prophet Of Truth, Darth Vader, and Ryoko Asakura. Rated M for universal cataclysm. Please read and review.
1. Scourged

**Moebius**

**3 Days To Incursion**

"Fiona!" Scourge ran through the woods, going nowhere near his top speed. He didn't want to run right past her. He called her name again, looking around to see if she was close. "Come on, babe… I stomped Miles for ya. He won't bother you anymore."

"It wasn't what he did…"

Scourge whirled to see Fiona. She was sitting with her back to a tree, her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her knees. Scourge shrugged, as if he was only doing what needed to be done. "You gotta get used to it, Fi. Life is brutal."

She looked up at him, her eyes burning with blue fire. "You think I don't know that? I was imprisoned by Robotnik for years." She stood up to face him directly. "And I don't mean the spaghetti-limbed kook everyone calls Eggman. I mean the original Robotnik. That man was cruel monster that barely fit in the body it had possessed. I dare say you'd be helping Sonic if Robotnik was still around, he was so evil."

Scourge held up his hands defensively. "No need to be insulting, babe. I know what you went through. I'm just saying brutality is the norm here. Mobius gets heroes. Moebius gets villains. That's why you picked me over Sonic, right?"

She smirked, looking down at her feet. "Yeah… I guess. That and you actually wear clothes."

Scourge belted out a laugh. "It's true though, eh? C'mon, let's head back." He put his arm around her shoulder and led her back toward the castle of Acorn. "Just… no more running off every time I have to pound someone. It distracts me from my royal duties."

Fiona nodded and laughed, but Scourge could tell she was holding something back. She never truly showed her feelings, but he knew what was going on behind her facade. He would be keeping an eye on her.

* * *

**2 Days To Incursion**

Scourge lay awake. It was the fifth night in a row he hadn't been able to sleep. Even with Fiona lying on top of him, something felt off. Turning only his eyes, he glanced out the window. Moebius' night sky had grown darker recently, more oppressive and sinister. Shadows seemed to creep farther, as if something had emboldened them. Even Scourge, the twisted king of the anti-verse, wanted to shrink away from the foreboding sensation.

Fiona shivered slightly, reacting by curling her tail around the both of them. He felt closer to her in these moments, when she was asleep. What she really thought came out more. He could see it. She was scared. He looked back out the window, realizing that he was scared too. What scared him the most was that he didn't know why.

* * *

**1 Day To Incursion**

Scourge stood with his back to the wall. Miles had coerced the others into helping usurp him. To Scourge's left stood Patch and Alicia, and Boomer had taken up the right. Rosy stood just behind Miles, though not of her own accord. Miles wanted to kill Scourge himself, and letting Rosy at him wouldn't help that. What made the situation worse was that Fiona was nowhere to be seen.

Miles was enjoying the moment. "Now, Scourge, comes the end of your imbecilic rule. I've been waiting for this for a long time."

Scourge wondered if this was what the increasing darkness was. Could it have just been something telling him that his time was up? He looked around at their faces. He knew they all hated him, and none of them would complain about his death. There was no way out.

Miles smirked triumphantly. "Any last words, you worthless scum."

Scourge shrugged. "What did you do with Fiona?" It was more out of curiosity than genuine care, although it may have bought him a few more seconds. "You put a bag over her head and beat her to death? Tied her up by her tail and dunked her in a vat of boiling oil? Strangled her in the shower?"

Miles grinned, his fangs showing. "We didn't even have to waste time on her. She just ran off."

That made things simpler. Scourge pushed off the wall, plowing through Miles and out the door. The enraged Fox followed shortly, but Scourge was ready for him. The green hedgehog found one of the decorative swords hanging in the halls of the castle and took it down, hiding around a corner with it. He turned around the corner just as Miles reached it and let his adversary run into the sword.

There was a moment of silence as their eyes met. Miles' contained rage and determination, both fading and giving way to pain and fear as his life seeped away. Scourge's eyes were filled with malicious glee, having made a kill of one of the most potentially dangerous beings he had ever faced. But his work was not done.

Scourge pulled the sword out and stepped around Miles as the younger Anarchy adept collapsed. He walked back towards the room where the others waited. They had just started to follow when Scourge blocked their path, bloodstained sword in hand.

Alicia's eyes went wide and she backed away in terror. "What have you done?"

Scourge just kept on smiling. "The same thing I'm gonna do four more times."

Patch stepped in between Scourge and Alicia, brandishing his own sword. "Back off, you-"

Scourge silenced him with a swing at his head, exerting more strength than Patch could have hoped to counter. The headless corpse fell back and landed on Alicia, staining her clothes and hands with blood. She ducked behind Boomer as Rosy swung her mallet at Scourge.

Dodging under a hefty blow, Scourge lunged forward. His sword came out Rosy's back and she sputtered briefly before collapsing. Boomer charged forward, swiping Rosy aside with his arm. Scourge jumped back just in time to avoid being crushed. Before the cyborg Walrus could readjust his aim, Scourge had skirted around him and plunged the sword through the power supply pack attached to his back.

Scourge quickly leapt away, and with good reason, as the pack reacted by exploding. He stood up and looked back at the half-molten body. He began laughing. Alicia stood behind him, backing away as quietly as she could. He turned and looked straight at her, a terrifying grin creeping across his face.

"Any last words?"

* * *

**Incursion: Day 1**

"Fiona!" Scourge walked through the woods, being sure to go as slow as possible. He wanted to find Fiona. She had to be close. She never ran very far. He looked around, sure he had heard something nearby. It was Fiona. Of course it was. He ran through some overgrowth to find her, but found something else instead.

What he saw was a portal. It looked similar to those that led from Moebius to Mobius. He figured Fiona had probably found out how to open it. He stepped through, getting ready for a fight just in case Sonic was there.

Scourge was on the other side of the portal for barely a second when something grabbed him from behind, wrapping around his body. He tried to struggle, but it squeezed too tightly and eventually he blacked out.

* * *

Scourge's eyes opened, looking up at a cloudless sky. He groaned and rubbed his head as he sat up. He had no idea how much time had passed, but whatever had attacked him hadn't stuck around. He was alone now.

Scourge stood, surveying his surroundings. He was on Mobius, that much he could surmise. He decided he didn't care where Fiona was. If she found him, all the better, but otherwise he would be content to pound some Freedom Fighters.

"_There are other options._"

He turned around quickly. "Who said that?" It took Scourge a second to realize they had referred to something he hadn't even spoken, only thought.

The voice came again. "_Technically, I am part of you._"

Scourge didn't like the sound of that. "You can read my mind?"

"_Look at your hand._"

The voice sounded slightly annoyed, like he was taking too long to catch on. Scourge complied, looking at the white gloves on his hands. He had to do a double take, noticing some purple discoloration under the glove. He grabbed the fingers and pulled the glove off, letting it fall to the ground. His hand was purple.

"_Although, to be honest, it is my hand now… maybe ours._"

Scourge nodded sarcastically. "Great. What do you want?" He mentally slapped himself, an action that hurt more than normal this time. If they could hear his thoughts, then he didn't need to be talking.

The voice responded to the self-criticism. "_No need for violence at the moment. Calm down. What I want is simple. I want the universe to be mine._"

Scourge found himself grinning. "Oh, I can get behind that. So you want me to help you. Does the purple hand thing let us communicate?"

"_Actually, I want to help you. Help us communicate? In a sense, I guess._"

Scourge sat down, figuring there was nothing else to do just yet. "So how's this gonna go? I do all the work and you kick me off the throne when we're done?"

The voice made a sound something like a laugh. "_No. I will do the work. We will enjoy a perfect rule together. This universe was made for us, for our use, our pleasure._"

It was a bit creepy, but Scourge could deal with it. He changed the subject. "Okay, so… what's with the purple?"

There was a slight pause before the voice answered. "_The… purple… is me._"

Scourge looked back at his hand again, shocked to find that the discoloration had climbed to his elbow. "Wait, what? What are you doing to me?"

"_Rage feeds me, so go ahead. I'm already in your blood. You are not going to turn into me. You are simply going to be part of me, as is the privilege of all beings._"

It seemed that his rage did feed it. Scourge roared in agony as the veins of dark color crept up his arm and spread across his chest. He managed a guttural growl. "What are you?"

"_We are destiny. Ever-growing. Strength in numbers. Life will go on. You are only becoming._"

He was nearly overcome as it reached his other hand and changed his internal organs. "Becoming… what?"

"_All-powerful._"

He closed his eyes, trying to force the entity from his body. It gripped at his mind, tearing down defenses and infecting what remained. He let out one final scream before the creature that used to be Scourge vanished, a different mind taking his place in his body.

* * *

**The story begins. I hope a fair number of people find this and enjoy it. It's received a minimal audience on DA, so hopefully someone will find interest in it here. If you're reading this, enjoy. The next chapter will be up next week, unless I have the next chapter of Jill Of All Trades complete, in which case two weeks.**


	2. The Architect Of Darkness

**Tekkan**

**Incursion: Day 1**

"My lord! Something has happened!"

Mechas tapped his clawed fingers against the arm of his throne. "Vut is it, Orven? Another encounter vith those puny Humans?"

He was impatient, Orwen could tell. Best to out with the truth quickly. "No sir! An anomaly in space! The stars…"

Mechas leaned forward, suddenly interested. "Go on… vut about the stars?"

"They've changed, sir. They are all different. Our astronomers can find most of the ones that we know, but… there are more."

The large Technan sat back in his throne. He smiled, his fangs glistening and eyes beginning to glow. "This is good. It is as it vus vitten."

Orwen took a step forward, not sure if he had heard his master properly. "Sir? Written? What was written? Where?"

Mechas began to laugh. After he had finished, he stood and stepped down from the throne. "Prepare the fleet. All of it this time. It is time to mobilize. Ve vill explore these new vorlds. There are those that dvell on them that I vish to meet."

The massive demigod walked out of his throne room, his lieutenant right behind him. The two looked somewhat similar, though Mechas was much taller. They both had bulky torsos made of organic metal with six thin telescoping arms ending in broad clawed gauntlets. Something similar made up their legs, but those limbs were thicker. Their necks were equally wiry and ended at their pyramid-shaped heads.

The main differences, other than general size, was that Mechas was an orange gold shade. Meanwhile Orwen sported cool silver armor that was overall bulkier, but it still left him nowhere near as powerful as his master. Mechas' eyes were bright red and three long black lines traced down his face where Orwen only had two electric blue lines accenting his pale green eyes.

On the way they passed many pairs of guards and squads of soldiers the same species as them, though most were smaller than Orwen and all were of lesser rank. They arrived at a balcony overlooking a vast staging area. Mechas turned to Orwen, turning him away. Only Mechas could be present when he was about to address his people, and as such Orwen left to be amongst those that would soon receive the message.

Mechas looked down at his army. He fixed his jaw, an action that raised his vocal volume. He wanted all of them to hear. "My subjects… people of Tekkan."

All talking and motion below him ceased. He smiled, fangs baring. He was absolute lord of their fates. Everything they said and did, every step they took, was in his name and for his glory.

He continued. "It is time to go to vor. But this time it vill not be vith our enemy, Scorpio. No, this time it is for a greater purpose. Ve may meet the foe ve know, but they vill not be alone. This time there vill be more. The universe is now full, and may ve revel in it. Rise up and board your ships. Every battle cruiser, every carrier, every dreadnought, and every fighter. Ve vill scorch the stars vith our might, burning our enemies and making new allies. Now… LAUNCH!"

There was a monstrous roar from below as the crowd bellowed in their salute to him. He vanished from his balcony, walking through the corridors of his palace until he arrived at his private boarding ramp for his flagship. Orwen was standing by the door, waiting. The smaller Technan saluted and followed Mechas aboard.

Upon reaching the bridge, Mechas sat in a stylized command chair that look for all intents and purposes like a throne. "Orven, vare are you?"

Orwen stepped up right beside his master. "Here, my lord. Shall we launch at once?"

Mechas let out a deep chuckle. "Yes, but first… let me see the new star charts."

On command, a holographic display appeared in the centre of the bridge. It showed the galaxy, stars so small that they appeared as only flecks of dust in swirling clouds that made up the galaxy's arms. A yellow dot blinking near the inner ring indicated where the ship currently sat, on Tekkan. Mechas leaned forward, poking his finger at a point equally far from the centre as Tekkan. The hologram zoomed in on that spot.

"These stars are not from our galaxy, Orven."

Orwen nodded knowingly. "That is true, sir."

Mechas continued. "They did not just come into being, either. They are from another galaxy. One I have not visited."

Orwen peered closer at the hologram of the star cluster. "Wouldn't it follow that many of these others are similar in origin?"

Mechas poked one particular star and sat back, watching as the image zoomed in on that star. "Many, Orven? I vould venture to guess that they are all of such an origin. This, of course, means that the people on these vorlds vill undoubtedly be confused. Ve vill be there for them."

Orwen look confused himself. "We are going to help them, sir?"

Mechas nodded, laughing quietly. "The like-minded ones, yes."

The lieutenant caught on, the light of understanding showing on his face. "Yes sir, the like-minded. I see what you mean, sir."

Mechas pointed to the star system laid out before him. "Take us to the gas giant here. Ve vill find who and vut ve are looking for there."

Orwen wasn't too sure about it at first, but then Mechas zoomed in on the planet he had indicated. What Orwen saw was massive, and doubtless what Mechas was after. Floating around the gas giant was something big enough to have it's own atmosphere, but it was shaped like no planet or any other thing natural. It was a ring world.

He looked back to his master. "Aye, sir. We go as you command." Orwen turned to the command crew that had been watching the conversation. "You heard him! Move out! We go! Now!"

In an instant thousands of warships took to the skies, trails of fire and smoke tracing lines through the atmosphere behind them. They rocketed into space and jumped into slipspace. The journey was over in mere seconds, giving way to the view of a gas giant in the distance. The bridge crew, and even Orwen, marveled at the ring world that floated beside the planet.

Mechas, on the other hand, saw something else. "Prepare yourself, Orven." His stern tone brought everyone back to their senses. "Those… "like-minded" vuns are here. And they have brought just as many ships as ve."

* * *

"They do not appear to be Humans… their ships are too big, and of different design."

The bulky apelike alien seated in the command chair snarled. "Then call them. See who they are!" He sounded like he wanted an excuse to fight.

Truth be told, all of them wanted to fight the newcomers, but it did not look like it would go in their favor. The communications officer did as he was bid and within moments a strange and terrifying face appeared on the view screen.

Mechas sneered at these creatures. They were small and fleshy. "Do not attempt anything so foolish as firing upon us. Ve are vell capable of viping you from this existence. Besides, ve are not here to fight you. Ve are here to offer an alliance."

The seated creature sneered back at Mechas. "We are Jiralhanae! We do not go down as easily as you might expect!" He paused for a moment, his mind coming up with something at least he thought was brilliant. "But I will give you this opportunity. The fight is what I live for!" His bridge crew growled in agreement. He waited until they settled down before continuing. "If you are here to offer an alliance, then you know where there is a fight to be had."

Mechas nodded. "Indeed, I do. A race that has plagued me to no end. They are called Humans."

The Jiralhanae on the alien bridge growled at the mention of that race. Their chieftain spoke quickly. "We know of these creatures. We pleasure in the spilling of their blood. You lead us to them and we will kill them."

Mechas smiled, motioning to Orwen. "I am sending you the coordinates to the vorld ve vill be visiting. Follow after us. Ve vill not engage until you arrive. Also, leave two of your ships here. I vill leave two of mine. I vant to know about this ring."

The feed cut and there was a slight blip from one of the machines. One of the bridge crew checked it and reported. "They have sent us the coordinates for Earth! What trickery is this?"

The chieftain chuckled. "No trickery. We will go. It's not like the Humans got up and left their homeworld. Contact two of the Kig'yar shipmasters and have them stay. I wouldn't dream of depriving my own brethren of such a glorious opportunity."

The communications officer, who was fairly displeased with his station, did as commanded. Within the minute, the two fleets jumped toward Earth. The invasion was soon to begin.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Mechas, and the story he is from, is of my own creation. I do have a fair amount of my own characters in this story, as well as some fan-characters. The fan-characters that do show up are not spotlight stealers, but merely expendable people.**


	3. Missionaries Of The Shadowed One

**Odina**

**Incursion: Day 1**

The Shadowed One's chamber was silent. The ruler of the Dark Hunters sat on his throne, pondering the reports that had disturbed him greatly. The stars had changed. In a world where the stars dictate and foretell the future, stars moving and new ones appearing was of great importance. He was having trouble coming to terms with the fact that he was clueless as to what was going on.

He knew there was a land up above. Maybe the answers were there. He looked around himself thoughtfully. His pet, Minion, sat in the back of the chamber obediently. Sentrakh stood next to the doorway, guarding his master as best he could. Darkness was quite likely still up in his perch directly above the Shadowed One.

When the Shadowed One actually looked, he was surprised to see that Darkness was absent. That being was always there, waiting for a moment of weakness so that it might kill the Shadowed One and take his place. That it was absent was strange. That it's absence had gone unnoticed for so long bode ill. It was a slip-up, but it was the only one Darkness would never see and for that the Shadowed One was grateful.

Before he could put thought towards wherever Darkness might have slinked off to, the large double doors at the front of the room swung open. Two beings walked in, neither of which had been expected. The larger of the two was a white armored savage named Primal. He knocked the smaller of the two to the ground with his staff. The smaller one was just that; small. The Shadowed One thought it odd that such a creature could even have survived long enough to reach his throne room, never mind at the hands of Primal.

The creature was almost entirely organic, only a few metallic parts visible, a foreign concept to the universe the Shadowed One was familiar with. It stood on two legs and held itself much like the majority of the Dark Hunters, but was covered in fine dark red fur as opposed to rusty metal armor and shining weapon blades. It looked to be wearing some sort of flimsy armor made out of a black material that glistened slightly. Most notable to the Shadowed One was the large tuft of pinkish-red hair on top of it's head and the long spiked dreadlocks hanging behind it's back. To finish off the strange creature's appearance, it had a crooked spiky tail sticking straight out.

The creature spat at the Shadowed One. "Go on. Kill me if you will. See what kind of great feeling you get out of it."

He thought it funny, watching the small thing acting brave when he could squash it with one simple move. He didn't though. He had his reasons. "You wouldn't be worth killing. Besides, Sentrakh complains when he has to clean the floor and I believe I heard enough of that just yesterday."

It snarled at him, obviously generally disliking him. "Then he did a poor job. This place is filthy. Suitable for sewer rats like you, though."

It was amusing for now, so he let it continue. He even played with the creature a bit. "Perhaps you'd do a better job then?"

It seemed taken aback by this, not sure how to respond. "Maybe… maybe I would."

The Shadowed One shuffled in his seat. Curiosity got the better of him. "What kind of creature are you? I have never seen your kind before, and I am as ancient as this island itself."

This seemed to surprise the creature even more, though that expression faded after it probably rationalized that his statement made good sense. "I'm… an Echidna. My name is Lien-da. I don't-"

The Shadowed One interrupted quickly. "Echidna? You look more like a… like a fruit. A tiny fruit that you step on in the street because it's just too small to be worth eating."

Lien-da frowned at his statement. She knew she was in a tight spot. What she didn't know was exactly how she had gotten there. Any moment, they could lose interest and she would be dead. She had to turn the situation around, or at least as close to around as possible.

"Well, what kind of creature are you? I've seen plenty like you, but none quite so ugly." She smiled at her comeback, sure it had to sting just a little.

The Shadowed One laughed in response, the last reaction she had expected. He sat back and contemplated his next move carefully. When he finally spoke, it was something that changed the playing field completely.

"It has come to my attention that the universe has changed. How much? I do not know. I may never know. What I do know is that it has changed well in favor of you. What would you say if I offered you a place amongst the Dark Hunters?"

Lien-da twitched, unsure where this had come from. She looked around briefly, noting that she probably wouldn't last five seconds if she refused. She nodded abruptly. "I'd be inclined to accept. But under a… fairly reasonable condition."

The Shadowed One didn't like conditions, but he figured it was little loss if he had to kill her. "And what would that be?"

She nodded towards Sentrakh. "You all have big heavy armor. I'm gonna need some for myself… and weapons. I want weapons."

That was hardly a condition. The Shadowed One would probably have insisted she have some of both, but he decided that he would treat them like genuine conditions. "I'm sure we can find something we can fit you into. Weapons will be a part of that." He addressed the white Dark Hunter, who had remained silent this whole time. "Primal. Take her to the armory. If she wants armor and weapons, let her pick out some of her own. And do make sure no one steps on her."

They turned and left. He grinned, still determining what all he could do with her service. He soon realized that the room had returned to it's usual dark gloominess. He glanced up, not bothering to move his head, to see Darkness back in his position. The Shadowed One had no idea where Darkness came from, but he was beginning to come up with some good guesses.

As for Lien-da, the Echidna, they would find out her worth soon enough. Just the fact that she had shown up immediately after the stars changed was enough to make the Shadowed One believe she was from farther than the Dark Hunters could reach. Perhaps doors had been opened, from one world to another. Holes or portals between dimensions. It was something he wouldn't be able to determine on his own, much to his annoyance.

"Shadow Stealer is back."

The Shadowed One looked up to Darkness. The creature had never spoken before. Interesting that it should choose now to do so, and with such a message. Like on queue, Shadow Stealer rose out of the black that clung to the corners of the room. The leader of the Dark Hunters had expected to be challenged in this moment, but instead he was given a word of advice.

Shadow Stealer barely moved, fully aware that Sentrakh would pounce on him in an instant at the slightest hint of treachery. He spoke quietly, but everyone present could hear. "The universe as we know it has changed. There are many now amongst the stars who would crush you without so much as a thought. You must conduct your work with the utmost care, or this organization will fall. Be wise about your clientele, for many would betray you. I have seen them and I know. But there are those that you would benefit from incorporating into the Dark Hunters. I suggest you seek them out… before the darkness claims you."

With that he vanished, melting back into the shadows. The Dark Hunter leader was left alone to ponder his agent's straightforward, yet cryptic message. Of the four beings left in the chamber, only the Shadowed One spoke often. Sentrakh could, but usually didn't bother. Darkness had only now proven that he was capable. Finally, Minion, a blue armored giant who sat chained to the back wall, was believed to be mute.

Minion chose this moment to find his tongue, after millennia of silence. "The day has come. All that was, is, and is to come has been brought together for it's end times. Miserix was right. All the different versions of the universe have combined, worlds slipping into sight where we couldn't see them before. Light and dark are destined for one final battle. So it has been written… so it shall be done… again."

With his message complete, Minion's eyes closed. His purpose for living as long as he had was now fulfilled. Life slipped from him and death embraced him. No one shed a tear. No one grieved or was even disappointed. The Shadowed One knew that Minion had had secrets, gleaned from the Brotherhood Of Makuta during his service to them. That meant the Makuta already knew what was happening, and had known for some time.

The Shadowed One's eyes grew wide. "Again?"


	4. Rise Of The Rahkshi

**Atlantis**

**Incursion: Day 1**

Lt. Colonel John Shepard was usually not a patient man. The only times he was really patient were when he was actually asleep. He sat in a chair in the control room on Atlantis, his eyes fixed on the Stargate. Any time soon, it should be activating. Lorne's team should be returning. If they didn't return, Shepard would have to go after them.

"Hey." Shepard turned to see Dr. Rodney McKay, a brilliant scientist and friend of the Colonel. Rodney pointed at the Stargate. "You, uh, waiting for Lorne's team?"

Shepard sighed and nodded. "Yeah… I'm gonna have to give him a talking to if he's just late."

Rodney nodded knowingly. "Don't bother. They're not due for another twelve hours."

Shepard looked at his watch, truly bothered by the fact that Rodney was right. "It's eight AM? No wonder no one's here."

Rodney started walking towards the door, motioning for Shepard to follow. "Come on, me and Zelenka found something you're really gonna want to see."

Shepard followed, though he preferred to not be moving that early. They stepped into the elevator and Rodney touched the point on the map nearest his lab. The transportation was instantaneous, and the doors opened to a different part of the floating city. Rodney stepped out and headed for his lab, walking quickly enough that Shepard had to jog in order to catch up.

Rodney started explaining what they had found. "Last night, Radek was checking the long range sensors to see if any Wraith ships were getting too close and he noticed something. Honestly, I'm not surprised he noticed it. You probably could have noticed just by walking outside on a clear night if you knew what you were looking for."

That caught Shepard's attention. If Rodney thought he could have noticed, than it had to be pretty noticeable. "Sounds big. Probably shiny too."

Rodney nodded enthusiastically. "That would be because it is. At first it just looked like a weird glitch, but then two stars collided."

Shepard shook his head to clear it. He wasn't entirely sure he had heard that right. "Did you say two stars collided? Like… they flew into each other? Wouldn't they then… explode or something?"

"Yeah, that big and shiny enough for you? But then two more smashed together. It wasn't too hard to figure out why either."

Shepard didn't want to be in the dark for long. He asked the question. "Why are giant celestial balls of explosion crashing into each other?"

Rodney stopped and turned to face him. "Because there's too many of them. We had to double-check, but all the Wraith ships are still out there. We're still in the Pegasus galaxy. The problem is that now we're in the Milky Way galaxy as well."

Shepard's face went blank. "What?"

"The Pegasus galaxy is now in the Milky Way galaxy. As far as we can tell, their centers line up almost perfectly. There are enough stars that there's two or three other galaxies mixed in as well, and the long range sensors are picking up some pretty damn crazy things." With that, Rodney continued walking. Shepard had no choice but to follow.

They walked into the lab to see Radek Zelenka closely inspecting a screen that was displaying the galaxy as it now was. The spiral arms were barely distinguishable from each other, causing the whole thing to just look like a large pile of white dust.

Radek glanced at them briefly before going back to the screen. He continued studying it and started talking. "There are definitely more than two galaxies here. They all seem to be spiral galaxies, and I think Pegasus is the smallest of the bunch. The main reason stars have started colliding at the rate that they are is because one of the galaxies is spinning in the opposite direction from the rest. Even if it wasn't there would still be collisions, but nowhere near as many."

Rodney at down, taking time to breathe a little. When he had regulated his breathing, he started asking questions. "How close to Earth did we land?"

Radek shrugged. "Pretty close. I can figure out the gate address we would need to use without much trouble…"

Shepard interrupted at that. "Wait, but we're in the Milky Way galaxy now. Wouldn't it just be the normal address, only without the eighth chevron?"

Radek and Rodney looked at each other. Radek spoke first. "It's entirely possible. We'd have to try it to be sure."

Rodney stood up and walked over to the screen, nudging Radek to the side. "We'll do it, but later. How many collisions did you record while I was gone."

Radek looked to Shepard, not sure he wanted to be the one to answer. "Um, the number was over twenty-five last I checked. None are coming towards us or Earth, so I decided to focus on other things."

Rodney entered a few lines of code causing seven equally spaced dots to appear on the screen. "Alright, so we're safe for now. Shepard, look at these."

Shepard looked at them. He quickly determined that he had no idea what he was supposed to be seeing. "Okay… what are they?"

Rodney put his hands in his pockets and smiled triumphantly. "They're ring worlds. There's currently a massive fleet of ships hanging around one of them."

"Uh, Rodney…? Speaking of ships…" They turned to Radek, who was looking at another screen. It was the short range sensors, which didn't show much beyond their own planet. What it did show was a red dot moving towards the planet. An information tag attached to the dot designated it as unidentified.

Rodney nudged Radek aside again, getting a closer look at the small shape. "The database doesn't recognize it… it's something we haven't seen before, whatever it is… Uh oh."

Shepard didn't like "uh oh". It always meant something bad. "What is it? Do you know what that is?"

Rodney turned around to look at Shepard, his face the picture of dismay. "Whatever it is, it's on a direct course to the city and it's not slowing down. We gotta warn people."

Shepard turned and ran from the lab, heading to the elevator. He tapped the radio piece in his ear. "Anybody in the control room? Respond now!"

The reply came through quickly, but not quite as urgently. "_Just started my shift, sir. What's up?_"

"There's a ship about to crash into the city! Get on the overhead and tell people to head for the mess hall!"

He was in the elevator with the door about to close when Rodney and Radek jumped in after him. They had a few pieces of equipment and a couple of laptops that they would need. The doors closed, opening moments later and letting them out near the control room. The alert Shepard had ordered called through the city, but was interrupted by the sound of an explosion that rocked the whole of Atlantis. The ship had hit.

They rushed into the control room. A technician, probably the one who had announced the emergency, stood and saluted briefly despite being a civilian from a different country. Shepard nodded back and looked at the main view screen. Rodney and Radek seated themselves and set up their equipment.

Shepard glanced back to the technician. "Chuck, where'd it hit?"

Chuck sat down and brought an image up on the main screen. "Centre of the south pier, sir. Damage is extensive, but everyone's fine."

"Hold!" Everyone turned to Rodney as he checked to make sure he had their attention. Satisfied, he continued. "There are life signs in the crash site. The database doesn't recognize them as Human, so whatever just dive-bombed us knew what they were doing. They are here and they are… very strong."

Shepard's mind moved fast, as it was well capable in such a situation. "Chuck, get Teyla and Ronon to the armory. I need four fire squads besides my team. Rodney, you're staying here. When Woolsey shows up, you're gonna have to fill him in on everything." With that, Shepard ran off toward the armory to meet up with his team.

* * *

Eight creatures crawled from the wreckage of their ship on the south pier. Their orange glowing eyes cast an eerie light off the walls of the darkened city. They all had sharp spines coming out of their back, spines that crackled with energy. Each one of them held a long metal staff with ornate silver blades on both ends. Clearing the smoke and fire, they were free to stand to their full height. All of them were large metallic serpents, creatures of the shadows, the sons of Makuta, the Rahkshi.

They stalked through the dark halls, acclimatized perfectly for this environment. When they came to a junction they split into two groups of four, both of which would split into groups of two later on. They were on the hunt, but for the first time in the history of their race, they were following the directions of no Makuta. Someone else had organized them.

One pair, consisting of a purple Rahkshi and a tan colored one, were creeping up a flight of stairs. The stairs were too short and too thin for their large feet, but they managed. Then a bright light shone in one's face. A squad of Marines had found them.

The lead Marine spoke slowly, hoping the creature in front of him could understand him and was willing to obey. "Don't move. Drop the weapon or we will open fire."

He wouldn't know it, but the Rahkshi understood him just fine. The problem was that Rahkshi don't like being separated from their staves. It opened it's mouth and let out an ear shattering screech. There was some power behind the sound, as it sent the squad of Marines flying backward. They crashed against the wall, half of them unconscious.

The Rahkshi stalked forward, strange clicks and slurping sounds coming from it's throat. One of the Marines jumped up and began to fire, but stopped abruptly when the Rahkshi's staff punched through his chest. The last Marine that was neither unconscious nor dead tried to run, firing behind him as he went. The bullets mostly bounced off the Rahkshi's armor, but one hit in between two of the heavy plates of metal. The Rahkshi glanced down at it's leg as a dark purple liquid oozed out. The pain was negligible.

The Marine kept running until he rammed right into the other Rahkshi. It screeched, though not as powerfully, as it wrapped it's hand around his head and squeezed. When it was finished, it dropped the bloodied carcass and moved back to the rest of the Marines.

The purple Rahkshi's voice was cold and chilling, malice dripping from it. "They are weak. You killed that one with a single, unarmed hand."

The tan Rahkshi's voice was sniveling and grating, even the other Rahkshi disliked it. "And their blood is red… a sure sign of their weakness. We should kill them all then, yes?"

The purple one ran his staff through one of the unconscious Marines. "The prophet told the queen that this race was an infestation. They agreed on that much. I respect both of them, and so I believe their words to be true. Our brothers across the stars are carrying out this same mission. We can only hope there is equal glory here to be gained."

He smashed the last Marine's head into the wall, crushing it, then walked away. His tan armored brother followed without question. They were on the hunt, and no one could stop them.


	5. Homecoming

**Moebius**

**Incursion: Day 1**

Fiona stumbled through the forest, a half dead figure slumped over her shoulders. When she had sorted herself out, she had gone back to the castle to find the Suppression Squad slaughtered like nothing and Scourge sleeping like a baby. The only survivor of the mindless bloodbath was now being carried through the woods.

She knew Scourge would be after her soon, whether he had heard or seen her in the castle or not. If he had killed the Suppression Squad, then she was next. She had disliked Scourge's violent behavior, and behind her uncaring exterior she absolutely reviled the green hedgehog. He was a monster, and that was something she had tried to endure. She could endure it no more.

She tripped and fell, spilling her cargo on the ground. She looked up at the still form, making sure Alicia was still breathing. Satisfied that she hadn't accidentally killed her, Fiona picked her up and started walking. A few minutes later, Alicia's body weight shifted slightly.

"Mmm... I didn't think hell would be so green. I also didn't think demons would have large bushy tails... what are you doing, Fiona?"

Fiona stopped and dropped Alicia down against the trunk of a tree. The Chipmunk eyed her cautiously, though she was obviously still in a lot of pain. Fiona wiped her hands on her pant legs. She wasn't quite sure how to start, so she let Alicia ask a more pointed question.

Alicia didn't waste time obliging. "Why... and how... did you save me?"

Fiona sat down and shrugged. "I dunno. I don't know this world as well as you do, I need company, and I need help figuring out how to get back to Mobius."

Alicia smiled, though Fiona couldn't guess why. "Fair enough. I'll tell you how to get back." She pointed behind Fiona.

It had just formed, as if on it's own, but right behind Fiona was a dimensional portal. Through the shimmering surface, they could even see Mobius' open plains. Fiona laughed to herself, sure that this meant her luck was turning around. She helped Alicia to her feet and supported her as they walked through together.

* * *

**Mobius**

Fiona and Alicia landed on the other side of the portal with a wide open field spanning in front of them. The long grass swayed gently, as if nothing was off. Fiona's senses tingled slightly, causing her ears to twitch. She looked around, feeling like she had heard something.

Alicia pushed off of Fiona and sat. "Is it just me or is it really cold here?"

Fiona grimaced, noting that they had their backs to a cliff. She stood at the edge, peering over to see how far down it was. When she stepped a bit closer to make sure her calculation was correct, she saw something halfway up the cliff. Whatever it was, it was an unnatural shade of purple and seemed to be glowing. And it was climbing up.

Alicia broke her concentration. "Hey! You hear me? I asked if you felt cold."

Fiona looked back to Alicia, making a face that indicated she didn't care if it was cold or not. She shook her head and stepped away from the cliff, grabbing Alicia's arm and hauling her up. "Come on. We gotta get out of here."

They kept running. Fiona pushed them harder when Alicia tried to rest. She barely even thought about the strange creature on the cliff. All that occupied her mind was that Scourge would be after her, and she didn't want him to catch her.

An explosive roar of sound cut through the air, causing Fiona to freeze in her tracks. She hadn't even look up when the ship flew overhead, a trail of smoke and flames following it through the sky. The wake of the ship knocked them flat. Fiona looked up just in time to see the ship crash into the ground, sending dirt and rock flying in every direction.

Fiona began running the opposite direction of the ship, but Alicia broke away from her and headed towards it. Fiona didn't stop running. It was out of her hands now. Something had told her to run, so she did. She'd figure out why she needed to run later. Hearing a sound like a scream from behind her only spurred her on.

She ran for what seemed like eternity, never looking back and never slowing down. After what was in reality only a few minutes she saw the city. Mobotropolis stood in the distance. Only then did she slow down enough to catch her breath, scanning the city from afar. There were no visible signs of danger, but she couldn't be sure they wouldn't attack her when she showed. The Freedom Fighters and her were not on friendly terms, even though she had once been one of them.

She determined it was worth the risk and began walking towards the city. Then the ground beneath her exploded, sending her flying. She landed on her back, feeling a sharp sting in her side. She tried to move but nothing happened. The sensation of cold blood covered her back and soaked her fur. Then the creature responsible stepped into view, looking down at her with malevolent orange eyes. It hissed and raised it's long metallic staff, preparing to finish her off.

"Hey ugly! Eat this!"

The creature looked up just in time to receive a red and yellow hammer to the face. There was a squeak as the hammer bounced off and the creature fell back. The thrower of the hammer frowned in mock disappointment. She was a pink furred Hedgehog named Amy Rose; one of the Freedom Fighters.

Amy turned to the person beside her. "Sorry, I was aiming for Fiona."

Sally Acorn, the leader of the Freedom Fighters, smiled knowing full well that Amy was joking. "Right… Sonic, Bunnie, and Amy, keep that thing away from us and the city. Antoine and Tails, check on Fiona. If she's awake I want to know what she's doing here."

As the Freedom Fighters went about their assigned duties, Tails was the fastest to reach his goal. He was beside Fiona in under a second. He cradled her in his arms, trying to shake her awake. He stopped abruptly when her hand met his cheek. It was a slap, but a weak one. He hoped it was because she was glad to see him and not because she was injured.

Fiona groaned, trying to sit up. "I think I landed on a rock or something. I'm bleeding, but I don't know how bad…" She looked over to where three of the others were battling the large creature. "What on Mobius is that?"

Tails looked at the creature for a moment. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, so he had only guesses. "Maybe it's Black Arms or the Xorda. I don't recognize it, though." He turned back to Fiona. "Look, we got to get you into the city. I don't want to risk you getting hurt any more."

Before Fiona could even consider it, Sally stepped in. "No time, Tails. Nicole's analyzed that thing's life signature and there's a whole bunch more heading this way."

Sonic stepped to Sally's side. "If there's more coming, we need to roll out a welcome mat."

Sally turned to him, seeing Amy and Bunnie returning to the group as well. "Where'd it go, Sonic?"

He shrugged. "I guess it had enough. It just up and left. It started hovering and flew away."

Sally started thinking and speaking at the same time, trying to come up with the best plan. "They'll be here very soon. They can fly… so we need to keep an eye out for an attack from the sky. Sonic, when you were fighting it, did you take stock of it's capabilities."

Sonic nodded, grinning. "Other than the whole flying thing, it's also pretty strong. The big one is the energy blast it can shoot from it's staff."

Sally shook her head. "This is gonna be difficult. Nicole found eight of them near the city, so we're really going to be in over our heads unless we can get some help."

Amy spoke up. "Oh, I know! Cream and Big can help!"

Sally stopped her before she went any further. "Big would be more of a liability, and I'm not putting a small child at risk like that. What we need is Knuckles and the Chaotix…"

Bunnie shoved Amy gently, as if she should have known that already, then turned to Sally. "But aren't the Chaotix on Angel Island?"

Sally nodded thoughtfully, then said. "Or maybe we just need Sonic to leave."

Sonic crossed his arms. "Way to make a guy feel appreciated."

Tails stood up, helping Fiona to her feet. He looked to Sally. "I think I know what your getting at. If Sonic runs past them…"

Fiona caught on and added an extra idea. "Maybe knock 'em around a bit?"

Tails smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah. If he can get them to chase him, or even just half of them, he can take them to Angel Island and get Knuckles to help pound them out with the Chaotix."

Sonic pounded his fists together and finished up the plan. "Then we can all go and knock Eggman around for his troubles!"

There was an awkward silence before Bunnie decided Sonic needed to be let in on the information everyone else had already figured out. "While I agree, beating the egg would be a great end to the day…"

Amy finished for her. "Yeah, Sonic… that wasn't Eggman's. It's gotta at least be from a different planet."

Sonic shrugged. "Eh, we can still beat up Eggman."

Antoine, who hadn't yet seen fit to speak, added his own piece here. "Or you could be leading them to the Eggman and letting him deal with them, no?"

Sonic looked about ready to jump into the plan. "That. Would. Be. Awesome! Sally, can we do that instead?"

Sally sighed, smiling at his eagerness. "Alright, but you better get going."

He gave a mock salute and a cocky grin. "Grab your popcorn and meet me at Robotropolis! There's gonna be a show!" With that he ran off, leaving them in a dust cloud.

Sally made a circling motion in the air with her finger. "We've got to get ready for any Sonic misses, so let's get to it!" She turned and headed towards the city, the others following behind her.

On their way to the city Tails looked over to Fiona, who he was helping walk. "You gonna be okay?"

She blushed a little, but managed a nod. "I think so. The pain is mostly gone, and it's not that cold feeling you get when it's getting worse. It's like it's not as bad as it was before."

He glanced at her back where the clothing was torn and bloodied. "Maybe I should take a look at it."

She fixed him with a glare. "I'll get a doctor."

He nodded. "Alright, well… welcome home."

"Thanks."


	6. Blood Feud

**High Charity**

**Incursion: Day 1**

"The Brute fleet has left the sacred ring and is heading to the Human homeworld. They have left a few ships behind, but the delinquency in their actions is plain to see."

The Prophet of Truth looked down from his pedestal at the gold armored Sangheili ship master. If what he spoke was the truth then the Jiralhanae had broken an oath. The Prophet sighed, unwilling to bring the Sangheili back into favor by removing the Jiralhanae from the ranks of the Covenant. He didn't have to speak, however, because his newest puppet spoke for him.

"Then they have done right. The Human filth is a plague of unsavory creatures that infest every world they find. Send some ships to bolster the ring's guard, but let the dumb apes kill to their hearts' content."

The ship master looked to the Prophet for confirmation, not yet ready to take orders solely from the creature hidden in the shadows. Truth nodded, glad that he hadn't had to do anything to manipulate the outcome he wanted. He wanted more ships guarding the ring, but with the Humans being wiped out anyone who could be interested would be elsewhere.

The Sangheili nodded and left to issue the orders, leaving the Prophet alone with his ally. He rubbed his forehead with his long bony fingers, speaking with his voice just above a whisper. "I am interested to know why your soldiers have not yet moved into battle. They stand around in our halls like statues, but do no warring."

The commanding female voice struck him from the shadows, rebuking him as if he were a lesser creature. "At least my army has some value in battle, as your low-blooded beasts of burden are obviously not even capable of following orders. And even as we speak, contingents of my army are launching strikes against Human worlds across the stars."

The aged Prophet scowled, but made sure to be facing away from her when he did it. "And yet it is my warriors who storm the Human's homeworld, fighting the most crucial battle of all."

She snorted, trying to make it sound dignified but ultimately failing. "Maybe if some of your high-blooded warriors joined the battle I would be more assured. Even your… those small grunts…" She snickered, thinking she had come up with a clever nickname. "Even they would do better to assure me than those brainless creatures."

"Thank you, your majesty." The Prophet saw the tall figure whirl to face the Unggoy that had interrupted their conversation. He stayed quiet, simply watching in amusement.

She coiled her robe around her, shrouding herself even further. "What do you think is so important that it would cause you to barge in on a private meeting between your queen and the high Prophet of Truth? Speak."

The Unggoy held his own, seemingly unafraid. "Well, you see me and my brethren, that is my fellow Unggoy, we figure…" He shrugged, appearing unsure if he should actually say it. "…we were wondering how you would all react if say… the Yanme'e or Mgalekgolo decided to leave the Covenant."

Truth looked to the "queen", knowing it would bother her that she had to deal with this. She sighed irately, glaring at Truth as he smiled smugly. She turned back to the Unggoy. "What is your name, small one?"

The Unggoy shuffled his feet, his first sign of actual nervousness. "Uh, Zwascks."

She rolled her eyes, which Truth took to mean she wouldn't bother trying to pronounce the name. She continued anyway. "Whatever. Go tell whoever may be considering leaving that I hope for their sakes they like it warm."

Zwascks looked around the room for a few moments, as if completely lost. "I, uh… what?"

Truth decided to step in before she lost it, not for the sake of Zwascks, but for the sake of the room. Truth was rather fond of the room. "Her Imperious Condescension has spoken. Do as she has commanded."

Zwascks ran out of the room, but stopped as soon as the doors closed behind him and pulled his communicator out. "Sir, it's as you expected. And they'll probably be watching my kind pretty closely now. What exactly do you plan to do now?"

The communicator responded with the deep voice of a Sangheili. _"Be prepared to move, brother. But do not go until we make the strike."_ The device clicked, signalling the end of the conversation.

Zwascks sighed and put the communicator away. "Bloody hell… I don't like doing nothing." He walked off to deliver the information to the rest of his kind. He would make sure they would be ready when the time came.

* * *

**Shorter chapter, but it introduces two big villains. Also, my friend's fan-characters Zwascks and Fallok Bloodfist. I wonder what they're going to do, hmm?**


	7. Not Our Kind

**Outside Edinmire**

**Incursion: Day 1**

A lone figure stood in the forest, watching the wind blow through the trees. He noted the way the leaves swayed, how the branches moved. Something was off here. That's exactly what he was looking for. He spoke, his voice quiet. No one was around to hear it, so no volume was really needed.

"Most people leave after they die. Why is it you remain?" For a few seconds there was no response, though most wouldn't expect one at all. Then a voice appeared out of the air, as if carried on the wind.

_"How do you know I am here?"_

He looked around briefly, trying to see if he could spot more signs of the lingering spirit. "The wind. It moves through your cloak. That slows it down. I've learned to watch for things like this."

_"What do you want from me?"_

He shrugged. "Just an experiment... I can bring you back to life, if you wish." There was a moment of silence before the spirit answered.

_"Who are you?"_

He laughed at this. "I'm... I guess you could say I'm a traveler. I've been all over the place, met all sorts of people, and learned many interesting things. Why, who are you?" The spirit seemed taken aback at this question.

_"I... that is not your concern. And you didn't answer-"_

"I think it is my concern. If I'm going to bring you back, I need to make sure you're someone I can trust. I'm offering you a second chance, so you shouldn't be worried about who I am so much as whether or not you've offended me..."

_"I'm... sorry. Yes, you are right. My... my name is Laura. Please, if you can bring me back... there is someone I must be with."_

"I understand. This will be just a moment."

A bright light enveloped the entire area. When it died down, Laura found herself lying on the ground. She looked down at her body, grabbing her hands, her feet, and her tail. It was all there and it was all real. She hardly gave notice to the fact that she wasn't wearing anything. She looked up to thank the man, but the words caught in her throat. He was no man.

As a ghost she had only been able to see a spectral aura, and she had assumed he would be a Human or another Keidran. Standing above her was a monster, sickly green armor lining his body. Large spines ran down his back and over his shoulders. His hands were large enough to fit around her head, each clawed finger sharp enough to impale her. He had long, sharp fangs and glowing red eyes. To top it all off, two sinister horns jutted out from the back of his head.

He looked down to the metallic mask in his hand. The Kanohi Ignika still glowed warmly, and it had not escaped his notice that all the plant life was growing out of control. He looked back down at the small Fox girl who was now scampering back from him. He sighed. "There is a town less than a mile from here. The people who spread your ashes in these woods are still there. We will not harm anyone if you go and bring them all here."

The question was begging to be asked, so Laura asked it, though she did not stop moving away from him. "W-what if... what if I don't?"

His eyes glistened, arcs of energy dancing around just barely contained by his will. "If you refuse to do as I ask, I will simply leave." She began to breathe a sigh of relief, but stopped when he elaborated. "The others... I can't be so sure about. But I would bet Hakann and Vezok wouldn't leave until the entire continent was a hellish wasteland."

She put up her hands. "Alright! I'll do it! Just, please, don't hurt anyone!" She scrambled to her feet and ran off.

"It's the other direction!"

She turned around and hurried in the opposite direction, giving him a wide berth. She ran as fast as she could, tripping over roots and crashing through underbrush. She had to get to the town as quickly as possible. If what he had said was true then everything she cared about was somewhere in that town. That meant Keith.

* * *

**Edinmire**

Keith Keiser sat in his hotel room in Edinmire. He was looking out the window, watching his aids as they talked to some of the townspeople. They were trying to find out where the governor's office was so he could make contact.

Down on the ground, he could see Maddie talking. She was her usual happy self, which is why he noticed when her expression changed. Something had caught her attention elsewhere. Keith leaned out the window a bit, but couldn't spot what she was looking at. Then she started running towards it.

Keith stood and grabbed his coat, a growl rising in his throat. Something felt wrong. He was down the stairs and out the door in seconds, following the direction he had seen Maddie go. He saw Maddie plowing into a crowd, shoving Humans aside. He caught a glimpse of some fur in amongst the Humans and realized that they had been tormenting a Keidran, probably one that had wandered into town by mistake. He didn't want to fight the Humans, as he was supposed to be talking peace with them, but he couldn't just sand by while they killed someone. He ran to join Maddie.

By the time he got close enough to hear what was going on, Maddie was in the center of it. She had apparently invested herself in this, and if he didn't get them away from her they would probably kill her as well. He just wasn't sure about how to accomplish anything at the moment.

There was a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Trace. This Human was his friend, and a powerful one at that. Trace had once even been the Grand Templar, the leader of a guild of mages. If anyone could get Maddie out of there, it was Trace.

Trace's expression was grim with determination. "I saw Maddie go in there. This'll take just a moment." His eyes began to glow and he stretched his hands out towards the mob. A blue haze covered each person separately before they were simultaneously hurled away. They landed in a neat circle, most unharmed and completely conscious, but all aware that someone powerful didn't want them here. Trace let out a deep breath, leaning over and placing his hands on his knees. More concentration had gone into keeping the Humans safe than getting rid of them.

Now Keith could see who was at the center of all this. On the ground, curled up as tight as possible, was Laura. She had received numerous cuts and bruises from the mob, as well as from running through the forest quite recklessly, but she was still conscious and breathing. Maddie was right there holding her, shielding her body.

Keith rushed to Laura's side, a mix of joy and confusion coming out in his voice. "Laura? How… but you… are you alright?"

She lifted her eyes to look at him. She smiled, tears streaming from her eyes. "Keith! You're here!" She reached for him and he helped her up, wrapping his arms around her. She cried into his shoulder. Some words came out, but they were muffled by her tears and his shirt.

Maddie removed her cape and draped it over Laura's shoulders. Keith nodded to her in thanks. He pulled himself away from Laura slightly, looking her in the eye. "Come on, we have to get you dressed." He glanced around at the townsfolk. "And we should probably leave town. I don't want to risk anything happening to you."

Laura put her hands up to his face, caressing his cheek with her fingers. She was watching his face, studying it. She never wanted to lose sight of him again. But he was right. They did have to leave. "There… there's a place… I know where we can go."

He smiled, something he had not had occasion to do often, though tears were running down his face. "Then let's go. Right now. Let's go."

She wiped his tears away with her thumb. "N-no… not yet. We… we need to g-get the others. We need to bring them."

"The others? Who? We don't need to bring anyone with us."

She pulled back a bit, emphasizing how important she thought it was. "No, you're friends… we can't leave them behind. What about, uh, F-Flora… a-and Natani? Or Trace?"

Keith looked over to Trace, who pretended like he hadn't been listening in the whole time. He looked back to Laura. "Alright…" He turned to Trace. "How quickly can you get everyone else together?"

Trace shrugged. "Flora's hanging around with Kat back at the hotel. Eric and I were going to meet about Mike and Evals later on today, so they're probably at the hotel too. Come to think of it, Natani likely didn't want to leave the hotel either. But… you would have to ask Maddie where Lynn is."

Maddie piped up, excited at having something to do. "I can find him!" She scurried off, disappearing before anyone could say otherwise.

Keith sighed and looked over to Trace. He was already heading back towards the hotel. He looked back down at Laura. "Come on. We should get out of the middle of the street."

* * *

Less than a mile away…

"Well?"

"They will be here shortly."

"How do you know that?"

"I have telescopic vision. I can see them from quite a distance."

"That doesn't reinforce "shortly" very well."

"I also have X-Ray vision. I can see through the trees and rocks and whatnot that blocks the view."

There was silence. Then, "I don't like you."

Avak laughed. "Why not? I mean, of the seven of us, I'm the least likely to strangle you in your sleep." He looked over to Vezon, who was doing math work on his fingers. He elaborated. "I'm pretty sure even you are more likely to do that."

Vezon gave up, unable to remember the names of everyone he worked with. "Well, yeah. I said I don't like you. I hate everyone else… why are you the least likely to strangle me in my sleep?"

Avak shrugged. "You're amusing. You irk Vezok to no end, you bother Hakann, you poke at Zaktan, you repeatedly tackle Reidak, and you sit on Thok when he's lazing about. I find it rather hilarious."

Vezon seemed quite proud of himself for a moment. "Really? Huh…"

When Vezon said nothing further, Avak pressed him. "So… why don't you like me… or rather, why do you not like me."

Vezon looked up at him. "Huh? Oh, I was just saying that cause I was thinking how any of the others would just blow everything up that was in our way. That way we'd both be able to see how soon they they're going to get here."

"It has to do with elemental power."

"Really?"

Avak nodded. "Particularly, an element that no Toa has."

Vezon started counting elements on his fingers, but quickly gave up. "Which one?"

Avak grinned. "Surprise."

* * *

**I introduce more characters into the story, and yet, no important plot points have arrived.**


	8. A Changing World

**Earth**

**Incursion: Day 1**

It had been on it's way for centuries. People had noticed the signs, but known nothing of their meaning. Some violent anomalies would overturn a table, but someone would call it a poltergeist. An object would disappear from existence, but it was written off as misplaced. Children would vanish never to be seen again, but kidnappers would be blamed, and later the blame would be passed on to Slenderman.

The truth, Earth was a doomed planet. It had the highest concentration in the Multiverse for instances of dimensional travel. This came with major side effects. A strange creature spotted in the forest or jungle. Fields of crops flattened and woven together in massive patterns overnight. An inexplicably realistic vision appearing to someone in a dream.

And now it had been pushed over the brink. At first there was silence, a calm before the storm where no unexplained mysteries popped up baffling scientists and detectives. Then it hit like a train. News cameras and weather satellites transmitted the photos to governments and media stations the world over. People in Japan, Australia, California, Mexico, and Chile swarmed to the coast to watch the rising cloud of flame and smoke. Hawaii had vanished from the map, smothered under a massive black blotch of volcanic ash.

Almost before anyone could question why and how it had happened, Japan joined it's fellow island in oblivion. Then one by one, other volcanoes went up in pillars of fire, regardless of whether their status was active or dormant. The world was instantly plunged into chaos. Then it ended.

Ash continued to fall from the blackened sky, coating the streets and buildings of every city in the world with white. But the fire had stopped. Then all at once, every glass window pane in Manhattan shattered, the frames of the buildings bending under the pressure of an invisible force. Then nothing.

Then the sands in northern Iran began to shake, and in a matter of seconds a line of mountains rivaling Mount Everest erupted from the ground. Then the earth was still. Then the ground parted, a massive ravine opening up and splitting down the centre England. Before it even stopped Florida dropped into the ocean, disappearing under the water. Then silence.

The space surrounding the planet fared better, as various ships and space stations found themselves dodging around ships the likes of which they had never seen. Such is the situation where we find the crew and passengers of the _Daedalus_, a ship that should not have been forced into a dead stop in order to avoid a collision with a MAC platform.

On the bridge of the _Daedalus_, Colonel Cameron Mitchell was observing the MAC platform. He turned to the ship's commander, pointing at the giant station. "Where the heck did that come from, Colonel?"

Colonel Caldwell sat back in his seat. "We have bigger problems right now." Mitchell gave a look that indicated he wasn't entirely sure of that. Caldwell turned to his helmsman. "Marks, what was that ash cloud we just saw on the surface?"

Major Marks shook his head. "It's chaos down there, sir. I... I can't get a good signal. I have no idea what's going on."

The communications officer called from her station. "We're picking up a transmission from one of the other ships, sir!"

Caldwell motioned to her. "Patch them through. We need to find out what's going on."

The transmission came through, full of static but mostly understandable. "This is Lord Hood-" Static. "-NSC ships-" Static. "-spond! I repeat, please respond!" The message continued repeating the same words.

Caldwell nodded to the comm. officer. He wanted to talk to this Lord Hood. She gave him the go signal. "This is Colonel Caldwell, commander of the Earth ship _Daedalus_. I'd like to know what you're doing this close to our planet and how you got here so fast."

There were a few seconds of silence, then the response came. "This is Lord Hood. Colonel, I think we're all on "Earth ships" here. We've got a lot of transmissions flying around from confused ship's commanders, but you're the first one that said Earth ship without saying UNSC in the same sentence. I see your ship though, and it doesn't look very alien, just looks old. The Cairo station is right in front of you. Come aboard. We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

**Cheyenne Mountain**

The walls were shaking, the ceilings and floors cracking, and the lights flickering. Dr. Daniel Jackson and Col. Samantha Carter rushed through the halls to the gate room. All around them were other people running the same direction; towards the Stargate. It was the only means of escape. The mountain was collapsing on top of them.

The doors to the gate room were left wide open so as to avoid hindering people's escape. Teal'c was in the gate room, standing beside the ramp, waiting for them. He spoke, his normally unshakable voice raised in alarm, but nowhere near panic. "Where is Colonel Mitchell?"

Daniel stopped and stepped to the side of the ramp, allowing others to run past. "He's on the _Daedalus_. He'll be fine." He turned to Carter. "What about everyone else on the planet, though?"

Carter ushered the few last people up the ramp, trying to be heard above the sound of the floors above collapsing. "There's no way for us to know right now..." She looked up to the control room, seeing General Landry and Sergeant Walter Harriman watching through the window. "Come on! There's no reason for anyone to stay! We're going to need you on the other side!"

The General grabbed the mic in front of him. "We'll be down in a moment. We're just making sure it's not the whole planet." A few seconds passed, with Walter talking on a headset, before Landry put the mic to his mouth again. "Go on! Get out of here!"

Teal'c turned and started up the ramp, grabbing the other two and pushing them ahead of him. The three of them disappeared into the event horizon as the Stargate transported them hundreds of lightyears in the blink of an eye. They would reappear at the Alpha Site, safe from harm.

Walter pulled his headset off and stood up, turning to the General. "Sir, reports are saying there's been some sort of disaster, but the planet in general... uh... the planet will be fine, so long as nothing more happens."

Landry nodded, sighing. "Disastrous, but survivable... We've done all we can , Walter. Let's get out of here."

* * *

**Japan**

He had tried his best. The moment he had seen Yuki Nagato running towards them, seen the look on her face, he had known something was wrong. She had never before expressed anything like that look on her face. Now he understood it, he knew what the problem was. He would have never thought it could come to this.

He looked back at Yuki. She was holding an energy barrier around the group, protecting them all. There were twelve people within the barrier, and he could still see the faces of those just outside the barrier. That image was burned into his memory.

She had told him that the Data Integration Thought Entity had warned her of a disaster. It had apparently told her that Japan was about to explode. It had seemed a bit over-exaggerated at the time. Now, seeing where the wooden floor disappeared into blackened ashes, he knew it was hardly an exaggeration. The world outside the barrier was no longer visible due to a cloud of volcanic ash. The air was undoubtedly scorching hot, meaning that if Yuki dropped the barrier they would probably all die.

He looked around him, at the faces of the people he had just saved. Yuki may have produced the barrier, but he had been the one who grabbed these people and made sure they were protected. He hadn't chosen anyone in particular, simply taking anyone he could find, but he could tell they were grateful to him for saving them.

"Kyon...?"

He turned to Haruhi. This was probably the worst part; explaining everything to her. She was supposedly possessed of god-like powers allowing her to change the universe at will. Now he felt himself wondering if that wasn't true, and she was just another scared teenager whose entire world had just been vaporized.

She inched closer to him. "What's happening, Kyon?"

That was the main problem. If she really did have these capabilities, then she was completely unaware of it. He was still relatively convinced that she did have these powers, as he had seen some pretty good proof, but he was now forced to wonder if it had been staged or faked somehow. Fortunately, for the moment, he could tell her the truth without actually saying anything that required putting thought to his words.

He shook his head. "I don't know."

Then Yuki spoke, and it nearly stopped his heart. He was certain it shocked and scared everyone else just as much when she said it.

"I am going to drop the barrier."

* * *

**Daedalus**

Colonel Mitchell was seated in the command chair on the bridge of the _Daedalus_ while Caldwell arranged transport to the Cairo station. The situation on Earth was of great concern to everyone, but it appeared as though there was little anyone could do. The places where disaster had occurred, it had been instantaneous and massive. No one could have survived. Any other place, people were panicking, but safe enough.

Mitchell was shifting uncomfortably in the seat. How many lives had been snuffed out in the volcanic eruptions, there was no way to know for sure. It hurt, that he could do nothing. It made him feel responsible, for some reason.

Major Marks called back to him from his station. "Sir? We're getting a signal. Someone's requesting transport."

Slightly irked by Major Marks' vagueness, Mitchell grunted. "Where from?"

"Uh... Japan. The entire area is covered in the cloud, but I can make out a clear signal. I can't beam them out right now, there's some sort of energy interference, but they're saying they can cut the interference... but we're going to have to beam them up quickly. They won't be able to survive longer than a few seconds."

Mitchell nodded. "Beam them up as soon as you get a lock. Do we know how many we should expect?"

Marks looked back to his console before responding. "The signal is attached to twelve different points, I can only assume that they're all people."

"Alright then, tell them to cut the interference. Get those people out of there."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **If you couldn't tell, this chapter actually gives us three series. Despite all appearances, Halo is actually the one that doesn't fit so well. You've got Stargate most prominent, then Halo and Haruhi Suzumiya. Enjoy!


	9. The Hand You're Dealt

**Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Complex**

**Incursion: Day 1**

Something was very wrong.

"Lou! Get Sarka and Sleet back in here! We've got trouble!"

Lou Valgo opened the door from the control room and leaned out into the hallway. "Hey! Get your asses back in here! We've got trouble!" He turned back to the room, mumbling to himself. "Apparently, anyways."

Lou was a big man, quite bald and sporting a hefty red beard. He was a soldier, true to the bone. When his squad-mates barely sauntered into the control room, he felt it was within his duties to berate them.

"When you're done painting your nails, ladies. Get yourselves front and centre on the bloody damned double." He sighed and turned to their commanding officer. "What's happening, Derek?"

Derek, an older man and the only one of the group that had actually been born in the country, simply pointed out the window. "The bridge is acting up. It could be about to collapse."

Sleet sat down at one of the control consoles, her fingers running across the keypad, quickly running a diagnostic. "We can't let that happen, can we? Are we still connected to Kubrax?"

Derek nodded, also sitting down. "For now, yes. Sarka! Get on the comm. station. See if you can raise anyone on the other side."

The large alien nodded wordlessly and followed orders, sitting and speaking into the transmitter. "This is K.C. calling S.1., please respond."

The voice came through loud and clear at first. _"K.C., this is S.1. and we can hear you. Sarka, who the hell thought is was a good idea to put your voice on the radio?"_

Sarka shot a glance at Sleet, who was covering her mouth with her arm to avoid laughing out loud. He shook his head and turned back to the radio. "Your other option was Lou. Listen, we're having problems with the bridge. It could collapse if this keeps up. How are your orbital defenses right now?"

There was a pause. _"Hold on a sec. Airdon wants on."_

There was a sound like a headset being traded, then a different voice came on. _"We've got two dozen of our own ships and a few Eapon ones as well. Yeah, the bridge is fizzing around on this side too. Could it be a technical error, or should we expect an attack from Mechas?"_

"We don't know yet, but we… Hold on a second, I'm getting another transmission." He pressed a few keys in order to let the signal through better. "Who's calling on this frequency? I repeat, is anyone trying to contact us?"

There was static, then… _"This is the _Manchester_! Good Lord! Do you guys have any idea what's going on down there? The planet's barely recognizable anymore!"_

Sleet suddenly pulled her hands away from the console she was working at, holding them in the air. "Woah… I didn't do that, but the bridge just re-stabilized. New problem, though. The piece of shit thinks it's connected to something in this galaxy."

Everyone gave her looks conveying varying amounts of disbelief, but Lou voiced it first. "That's impossible. There's only three ends to the bridge, and they're all in different galaxies."

Sleet shrugged, getting to work figuring it out. "Fucking crazy, right? Well it gets better. Damn thing is still connected to Kubrax."

That defied common sense as far as Lou was concerned. "If you're pulling my leg I'm gonna stomp your tail, Weasel."

She shrugged again. "Nope, it's right. It's still connected to Kubrax." She leaned back, gripping her head like she was trying to keep it from exploding. "And Kubrax is in our own fucking galaxy now. Where's Mars when you need him. He understands how this shit works… and again, I'm an Ermine."

Alex Airdon's voice came over the comm. again. _"You guys still there? I think the bridge is stable again."_

Derek looked over to Sarka. "Tell him to get his team back here immediately, and to bring Gurry's team as well." While Sarka relayed the orders, Derek turned to Lou. "Get the rest of your team assembled too. We're going to need all of the best of the best on this if Mechas is involved.

* * *

**Las Vegas, The Deck**

"Joooohn…"

The blonde-haired young man didn't moved. He was leaning back in his chair, pretending to nap. His eyes were covered by his sunglasses, which kept the low-level indoors light even lower and allowed him to rest without closing his eyes. He fought back a grin as he ignored the voice calling him.

"John!"

Another voice cut in. "Either he can't hear you or he doesn't want to."

"Why would he do that? For all he knows, I'm offering sex."

"You never do that. Ever."

John sighed and sat up, looking over his sunglasses at the wide smile and bright green eyes of his friend Rix Rose. "Fine. What do you want?"

She giggled before answering, her black and orange striped tail swishing back and forth. "Miru called. She says she's gonna hafta cancel the date cause something more important came up."

This stirred him a bit. "More important than a date with the only guy who actually notices her existence? What could that be?"

The other voice in the room spoke up from the other side of a yellow couch. "Might have something to o with the fact that Hawaii exploded."

John jumped up, suddenly alert. "Explo- what? Entire states don't just explode!"

The person on the couch peered over the back, her spiky black hair falling in front of her face when she moved. "Japan too. England's got a nice gouge in it, Florida's underwater."

John looked to the TV screen she was watching. At first it seemed like some sort of natural disaster movie, but everything seemed too real. He looked back at Rix, who was in a sort of giggle fit, then to Madine, who was seated on the couch.

Madine stood up and swept some of her spiked hair out of her face before flicking off the TV. She turned back to John. "Do you think… Adrian found the door?"

John snapped out of his trance. "What? No. No, there's no way he's found the door. Where… everyone should be here. Where are they?"

Madine shrugged. "Miru's with Lillin, wherever that is. Melany's out front doing her job in the store. Tholix could be anywhere between here and Kentucky, hopping around like a crazed drunk idiot. Loro will show up whenever she feels like it. And Tsun has been standing in the corner for the past three hours."

John spun around to see Tsun just standing there. She could have been sleeping, or she could have been watching everything. It was impossible to tell while her long dark green hair covered her face. He shivered. That woman was creepy.

He turned back to Madine. "Call Mary and ask her to get in contact with Sandy. I need to know what Adrian's up to. Rix, I need you to round up everyone else."

Rix raised her hand. "I have a question!" John only covered his face with the palm of his hand, so she continued. "What if Adrian opened up his pen? We don't know what all he keeps in there or how powerful any of them are."

John shook his head. "Even Adrian's not that stupid. He's got the King of Spades locked up in there. Besides, Bromine would have told us."

Rix shrugged. "Not if Bromine is dead."

John couldn't help but laugh. "Bromine's not dead. Nobody's dead. No one has ever died in this game, and no one ever will."

Tsun's voice froze him in his tracks. "It would appear the entire populace of those islands would disagree after being wiped from the face of existence. Perhaps the hunt is over."

John turned to face Tsun, making it appear that he was making eye contact. His sunglasses hid the fact that his eyes were actually closed. "The game ends when the world ends. The objective of the game is to keep the world from ending. The game never ends."


	10. Dawn Of Chaos part 1

**Mobius, Great Forest**

**Incursion: Day 1**

_"Sonic, can you hear me?"_

Sonic grinned at the sound of Sally's voice as he ran through the great forest. "Yeah, Sal! Loud and clear!"

Her voice came back slightly pained. _"Loud is right. You don't have to yell."_

He shrugged, but didn't dare to slow down. "Sorry."

She seemed to be over it. _"Anyway, you're coming up on the first one. Be careful, we don't know what all they can do."_

"It's okay, Sal. I'm not gonna actually try and fight him. Just get his attention and get him to chase me towards Robotnik."

_"Alright then..."_ She seemed unconvinced. _"Try to get as many of them as possible, though."_

Sonic nodded in response, completely forgetting that she could neither see nor hear a nod. He jumped over a bush and landed in a clearing. Sure enough, he found himself face to face with another one of the creatures. It screeched at him and he responded with a grin.

His radio buzzed again, bringing Sally's voice back into his ear. _"Sonic, look out. There's another one nearby. There's some sort of interference that Nicole thinks may be a cloak. Keep your ears tuned as well as your eyes."_

He touched the radio and held his hand up towards the creature, disregarding the fact that it would not stop it's approach for him. "Got it, Sal."

He turned back to it just in time to see it stab at him. When it's staff sunk into the ground, it began looking around in confusion, or at least something similar to confusion. Sonic was behind it now, standing on a tree branch above it's head. He whistled at it to get it's attention.

"Hey, tall, dark, and stupid! Why are you attacking the dirt? I'm over here!"

He jumped out of the way again as the creature slashed at the tree with it's staff. Sonic turned around to look back to his opponent. The tree was crumpling, as if a giant hand was crushing it. He whistled again, this time simply because he was impressed.

"That's a hefty ability. I bet you'd like to test it on a fat overlord's mechanical minions." He jumped out of the way as the staff cut into the ground again. He laughed. "I knew it. You're just looking for an outlet. Allow me to show you to the city."

Sonic dashed off, making sure that it was following him and that it wouldn't lose his trail. He headed towards the next one, smiling to himself and thinking of how much fun the day was turning out.

* * *

**Knothole**

Sally sat back in a chair facing a desk with an array of screens. On the largest screen was a map of the great forest, with a blue icon shaped like a hedgehog marking Sonic's position. There was a pair of red dots behind him following at a respectable speed, and another such red dot about half a kilometer ahead of him. There were another five scattered further away, one of which was headed towards Sonic's next target. The other four confirmed her suspicions that they were pairing up.

She glanced behind her at the others. Antoine was talking with Amy concerning their defense strategy should Sonic be unable to redirect all the creatures to Robotropolis. Rotor was talking on a private line with Tails, who had gone with Fiona to the hospital. It sounded like they were talking about defense turrets or something. Finally, Bunnie and Nicole were watching the screens from behind Sally. It was slightly annoying to have them watching over her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

It was then that Sally's attention was brought back to the terminal by an incoming call. She looked at the origin of the signal to find it was from the Downunda Freedom Fighters. She flicked a switch and watched as Barbie Koala's face appeared on one of the screens along the side.

_"Sally! We have a serious problem! Approximately twenty minutes ago we spotted what looked like an attack force heading for Downunda. Bill contacted us and told us he had been ordered to defend his base camp, so they weren't Eggman's. The last transmission we received from Bill was interrupted. We can't get a signal from him anymore. All other signals in the area have gone dead as well. The others are risking themselves to defend this position so I could warn you."_

Sally shook her head sadly. "I'll check to see if anyone else can be sent to help, but we're dealing with more of them ourselves. Eight of them are worryingly close to the city."

Barbie's face showed confusion. _"Eight? There are hundreds of them bearing down on us! Maybe thousands!"_ There was a rumble from behind her, followed by a scream. She looked like she was struggling to ignore it. _"They've locked me in here, but I don't think the door will hold for long. I'm not asking for help. It's too late for that. I'm just trying to warn you."_

With that, the screen turned to static. Then another screen flickered before turning on, revealing Guntiver the Arctic Wolf. _"Freedom Fighters, if you can hear me, we have a serious situation! A massive wave of unidentified hostiles appeared in our area just over fifteen minutes ago! They've already nearly wiped out the local Legion, and they're pressing towards Iceborough!"_

Sally was about to respond when another screen turned on. This one had Shift, one of the Sand Blaster Freedom Fighters. _"Come in please! We are facing a veritable army of unknown hostiles! They're devastating the Dark Egg Legion and tearing through our defenses!"_

Another screen came on immediately, this time showing Li Moon. _"Hello? Is this on? Sally! Can you hear me? We need help! Someone's attacking the village! Monkey Khan is hurt, but he won't stop fighting them! He says they've already attacked the ninja clans! I'm scared! Please help us!"_

Sally felt a drop of sweat running down the side of her head. She had no idea who to respond to first. Nicole made the decision for her by pointing at the middle screen. Sally felt like she could hardly move as she watched more unidentified signals appear in the great forest. Nicole made sure to have these ones appear a different color, as they were definitely not the same as the first group. They showed up as purple dots, though it quickly began to look like a purple cloud covering half the map.

Nicole stepped back. "Sally... you should call Sonic first."

Sally shook herself awake. "I know..." She clicked the button for the radio to Sonic. "Sonic! Get the heck out of there now! Forget about those things, there is a huge army headed straight for you!"

Bunnie pointed at a spot on the map. Just as Sally realized that it was a pair of the red dots, one of them disappeared under the smothering weight of purple. The other one followed quickly behind it.

Nicole looked intrigued. "Strange coincidence, both of these groups appearing at the same time. Even stranger that they evidently are not allied."

Ignoring Nicole's comment, Sally looked over the multiple screens, trying to decide. Hope Kintobor had appeared on another, and yet another showed Lupe. She threw her hands up and yelled at the terminal in frustration, then simply switched all of them on at once. This meant that they could all hear each other as well. They stopped, realizing what this meant.

Sally yelled at all of the screens as loud as she could. "RUN! GET AS MANY PEOPLE TO SAFETY AS YOU CAN! GET OUT OF THERE! RUN!"

One by one, they nodded solemnly and confirmed the order. Sally hoped they all made it out safely, but she knew that even if they did, it wouldn't be over. They would all try to fall back to New Mobotropolis. Even if they all made it, the city was surrounded. There was no way to escape.

Slowly, the screens began to turn to static. When she looked up again, only one screen was active. She hadn't noticed this one being one before, likely due to the person on the other side not saying anything. It was Knuckles. He looked slightly confused and rather worried.

It took a while, but he finally found some words. _"I, uh... are we under attack?"_ Sally nodded. Knuckles frowned. _"Okay, well... I'll see what I can do... Be there shortly."_ With that, he was gone too.

* * *

**Downunda**

Barbie stood with one foot on the communications terminal and one on the ground. The radio had gone dead, so there was no point in keeping the machine working. She raked her claws across the screens, her eyes watching the door. The sounds of battle were gone. She hoped that only meant her friends were captured. She refused to consider that they might have been dead.

Something hit the door, causing a loud thud to assault her ears. Another hit and she could see the door begin to shake. Then a dent appeared, and another opposite to the first, then nothing. She decided it was best not to be in front of the door when it opened, and so moved to the side of the room. Another hit sounded, and the corner of the door bent inwards.

She closed her eyes as they continued pounding, hoping for a long fight before she was either captured or killed. Considering the latter, she also hoped it would be quick if it did happen. Then she heard something strange. She couldn't be sure, but it sounded like the battle had started again. This time it sounded different, no shouting or yelling, just the roar of fire. Then the door melted.

She took her stance, prepared to face whoever was coming in. What she saw made her jaw drop. In the doorway in front of her stood a tall Mobian figure, her hand wreathed in flame. From the glow of the molten door, Barbie could see that she was a Cat with lavender fur.

Barbie managed to growl out two questions. "Who are you? Where are my friends?"

The Cat gave a small smile. "I am Blaze. I'm sorry, but there is no one else left. I could find no one untainted by the parasite."

"N-no! That can't be! They were right outside!"

Blaze's ears twitched to the left, and her eyes followed quickly. She lowered her voice. "We should go. More of them are coming."


	11. Dawn Of Chaos part 2

**Northern Siberia, Iron Pen**

**Incursion: Day 1**

"Adrian."

The man kept his back turned, his eyes fixed on the screens. They were showing something strange. If his eyes were not deceiving him, the planet was in chaos and there was a space battle taking place in orbit. It seemed like the whole world was going to hell.

"Adrian! We have a problem!"

He finally turned to face her, his dark brown eyes searching her face for any hint of what she was going to say. He lifted a hand to brush his black hair out of his face before speaking. "Fine. What do you want?"

She rolled her eyes. "Mrs. Wisper called. She says Mary Harddigan has been asking questions about you."

Adrian crossed his arms. "I hope no one told her anything. Mary is well known to be a puppet for our friend John Smith. I don't need him knowing anything about me that he didn't already know."

A voice came from the computer behind him. "_The planet is indeed suffering tremendous amounts of trauma currently. Perhaps a temporary truce could prove beneficial to both sides._"

Adrian spun to face the screens. "Nobody asked you're damned opinion." He turned back to the woman. "Elena... what questions was Mary asking?"

The computer spoke again. "_I monitored the conversation. The majority of Miss Harddigan's queries pertained to "the door". She also inquired as to whether or not you deactivated the lockdown protocols in the prison facility._"

Adrian groaned, but shrugged when Elena nodded. "John thinks I opened the door. That's a stunt I'd expect from you, Polybius." He glanced around before deciding on a course of action. "Is a plane ready?"

Elena nodded. "Two. Which type do we need?"

"One that Polybius can fly for us. We need to bring him, cause I'm not coming back here. I don't think the door is open, but whatever's happening definitely makes me want off this planet."

"_Tokyo is no longer an option, and London could be risky. Madagascar or Cuba?"_

Adrian shook his head. "John will probably head for the Cuban facility, and I don't want to run into him just yet."

"_Madagascar then._"

Adrian left the room without another word. Elena turned to the computer, a scowl on her face. "Can we be sure the others get there on time?"

"_Negative. Wisper and Calastar are in the Middle East currently. Jackson will likely escape with John Smith. Romanov and Vandekut are in close proximity to Jackson, but will inevitably be unable to escape similarly. Dancel and Ballock are not close enough to any aircraft to rendezvous with us in the allotted time frame. I have deemed it appropriate to withhold the escape plan from the demon._"

She didn't seem to look pleased, but nodded and turned to follow Adrian. "Be in the plane when we get there."

"_Of course._"

* * *

**Earth Orbit, ****_Daedalus_**

The stars were easy to see, thousands of them sprawled out before her as she watched out the window. It briefly occurred to her that they were also the dimmest she had ever seen them. It wasn't the stars themselves, but the darkness around them. It seemed to be pressing in around them, drowning out their light. She wondered if she would get to see any of them up close. The possibility seemed suddenly more likely, since she was now on board a space ship.

"Hey, Haruhi. What are you thinking?"

She glanced over to Kyon, who was seated across from her. He was still wearing his school uniform, as were Koizumi and the other boys that had come with them. The girls had all been given clothes to change into, seeing as their school uniforms weren't quite as appropriate for space travel, so Haruhi was wearing a green flight suit. She didn't particularly care for it, but the fact that she was in space made it alright in her mind.

They were seated in some sort of observation deck, and there was a fair number of tables set around the room. Mikuru was in the seat beside Haruhi, fidgeting and whimpering quietly. She was very plainly disturbed and confused about the whole ordeal, but that was completely normal as far as Haruhi was concerned.

Kyon tried again. "You are thinking, right?"

She snorted at his sarcastic remark. "Well, I had a few interesting thoughts, but after you said that I'm not so sure I want to share."

Kyon was still shaking from what had happened earlier, but he hadn't exactly broken down yet. Haruhi could tell he would be entirely useless when he did break down. Their home was gone, along with everyone they'd ever known. All they had left was each other. She wasn't looking forward to it, but she knew the full impact would hit her eventually as well.

He sighed, apologizing under his breath. She could barely hear it, but just this once she was willing to cut him some slack. She tried her best to smile. "We're... in outer space. We are on a space ship that was made by Human beings. One look out the window can tell you that there are other ships orbiting Earth. On top of all that, we were beamed up here. Not to mention Yuki's energy shield! By the way, did you know she could do that?"

Kyon shrugged. "To be honest, I sort of expected something like it."

Haruhi's face changed to annoyance. "Wait a second. When she told us there was about to be an explosion, you pulled us to where everybody else was and grabbed a bunch of people to make sure they were in the shield. You did know she could do that! Damn it, Kyon! How long have you known?"

Kyon was barely even paying attention. If they were still in the clubroom, she would have been standing on her chair and holding him by his collar. It was then that Yuki arrived, diverting Haruhi's attention. Yuki calmly took her seat next to Kyon.

Haruhi couldn't hold it in any longer. "Yuki, how did you do that earlier? And where have you been? I haven't seen you since the infirmary."

Yuki replied. "I was explaining the situation to the ship's commander. He has reluctantly agreed to allow us to stay on board, under the pretense that we are capable of assisting in the current crisis."

Haruhi grinned. "So we get to stay in space?"

Yuki gave a slight nod. "Only the SOS Brigade."

Haruhi shot out of her seat and made for one of the other tables. "Well, I was hoping for a bit more than the five of us, so I'm going to go and conscript Tsuruya and those other two idiots."

Kyon watched as she headed to a table where Tsuruya was talking to the other girl he had managed to pull into the shield. The previously mentioned "two idiots", Taniguchi and Kunakida, were seated at another table with three other guys. Of the twelve people Kyon had pulled into the shield, only Koizumi wasn't in the room. Kyon was pretty sure the Esper had left the rest of the group when Yuki had.

He turned to Yuki. "Hey, Nagato. Where'd Koizumi go?"

She barely turned her head towards him when she responded. "Itsuki Koizumi stayed on the command deck to further explain the capabilities of the members within the SOS Brigade to this vessel's commanding officer."

Haruhi came skipping back to the table. "So, now that we've got a good sized team, what do you think we're going to be doing?"

Yuki responded before Kyon could speculate. "Certain troubling matters have come up, including what appears to be a dimensional shift. These space craft should not exist in our own universe, and many should not exist in each other's. All of these ships were created with the same purpose in their own separate universes."

Haruhi blinked, blatantly having trouble working out what Yuki had said. Still, she managed to ask the obvious first question. "What purpose were they made for?"

No emotion passed Yuki's face. She answered matter-of-factly. "To defend the planet Earth from hostile alien forces."

Haruhi punched the air, exclaiming her joy over this revelation. "I knew it! There's aliens! We're going to fight aliens! I wonder what they look like?"

A bright flash out the window caught her attention, quickly calling everyone else's attention as well. Suddenly, an ominous dark shape appeared, covering a large area of the star field they had been observing. More ships followed. Some were large and bulbous purple colored ships that looked like they could carry millions of people. Others were sharp, three pronged ships with bright green lights along the sides. The first craft opened fire, sending bright crimson plasma blasts straight toward them.

* * *

**Bridge of the ****_Daedalus_**

"_All Earth defense craft at high alert! Covenant battle group has just arrived and are opening fire!_"

Another transmission cut in. "_The other ships are opening fire as well! We need identification on those ships!_"

A third transmission answered. "_That's a Tekkan attack force! Form a barrier! We can't let them get to the planet!_"

"_Roger that! Go for forward defensive fire! Don't let anything through!_"

Colonel Mitchell watched out the view screen as near a hundred ships opened fire at the fleet before them. He looked to Major Marks. "I don't have to tell you. Fire Asgard weapons at the nearest ship! When it's gone, fire at the next one. Don't stop until they're all gone."

Marks nodded and complied. Bright blue beams of energy streamed from the _Daedalus_ into the lead Covenant carrier, punching through the shields and piercing the hull. A third shot punched through the nose section of the ship, sprouting an orange ball of flame. It quickly spread, causing secondary explosions that tinted the entire spectacle purple.

"_The enemy fleet has launched fighters._"

Marks glanced back to Colonel Mitchell. "Sir...?"

Mitchell nodded and spoke into the ship-wide comm. "Pilots to the F-302 launch bays. We've got incoming enemy fighters." He glanced over to the teenager that was on the bridge, noticing he had occupied himself with a screen on the wall. "Hey... what's you're name again?"

He turned around and smiled at the Colonel, though it seemed a bit forced. "Koizumi."

"Right. What are you looking at over there?"

Koizumi turned back to the screen. "I was simply noticing that there seemed to be a few ships a size larger than most of the... "fighters". Perhaps heavier craft?"

Mitchell pressed the comm again, speaking openly to the array of ships defending Earth. "There's something else coming towards us, larger than the fighters. Anyone know what those are?"

After a few seconds passed, someone responded with an alarmed sound to his voice. "_Alert! Covenant boarding craft! Don't even let them get close!_"

Mitchell pressed the shipboard comm. "All hands prepare for boarding! Arm yourselves now!" He turned to Koizumi. "You, come with me. I need you armed. Marks, I'll be right back with something for you."

Marks nodded, keeping the _Daedalus_ firing. Koizumi followed Mitchell off of the bridge to the nearest armory where he was handed a bulletproof vest and a pistol. Mitchell then grabbed two P-90's and another pistol. He stepped back out of the room and pointed down the corridor away from the bridge.

"Your friends are in the mess hall. Get there and get them armed. There's another armory near there." Koizumi nodded, but Mitchell grabbed his shoulder. "You're a smart kid, and I want to trust you, but don't go looking for a fight if we do get boarded. I'm counting on you to keep your friends safe."

"I understand."

With that, Mitchell ran back towards the bridge. Halfway there, he nearly lost his footing as the entire ship lurched. The comm came on with Major Marks' voice. "_Boarding craft have attached to our hull on decks six and three! All hands ready for boarders!"_


	12. Unexpected Arrival

**Mekkan, Outside of Edinmire**

**Incursion: Day 1**

Once the whole group had been gathered together, they set out from Edinmire. Keith had been unable to answer when he was asked where they were going, and Laura was unwilling to explain. Natani and Trace had been able to determine that she was indeed alive, and not simply an illusion, which made everyone happier and more willing to follow her. They still wondered, however, how the vixen had come back from the dead.

Natani walked at the back of the group, mentally compounding all the reasons conceivable to distrust Laura. Mike and Evals also stayed back, neither really knowing how much they could trust someone who was supposed to be dead. Just ahead of them were Eric and Kat, the former not really sure why he needed to be there and the latter simply glad to be doing anything. Maddie and Lynn were following out of obligation, and Trace and Flora were just glad to support Keith and help him to be happy.

After a few minutes of walking, Laura stopped and began to glance around anxiously. She looked like she had expected something to be there. When she noticed a few impatient stares she began to break under the pressure.

"I... I don't know..."

Keith grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. "Hey, it's okay. What were you looking for? Maybe we can still find it."

She buried her face in her hands. "No, I don't know... I j-just don't know what I should do..."

Keith tried to calm her. "I trust you, Laura. Take your pick. Whatever you want to do, it's fine with me."

He had intended this to embolden her, but it instead seemed to make her even more wary. He heard someone behind him let out an impatient sigh. Before he could turn to deliver a stern punishment, such as a glare, he heard the distinct sound of a slap to the back of someone's head. When he did turn, he saw Trace rubbing the back of his head and Flora shaking her head.

Laura's voice called him back. "I... Maybe we should j-just go back. I-it's getting dark a-and I don't think he... uh, I don't want to b-be here anymore."

It took Keith a moment to register what she had said, but he eventually nodded. "Alright, then let's go back."

As if out of nowhere, a strange breeze blew through the trees. A venomous hiss followed the wind, dripping a mixture of contempt and approval as it turned into a voice. The voice came from all around them, as if spoken by a choir.

Or a swarm. "You can't go back. No one can go back. You've come this far. Why not take one more step?"

Near the back, Evals was backing away slowly. "Guys, I think we should just go..." He turned and came face to face with Natani, who shoved him back into place.

"It's trap, idiot. You run, they kill."

Evals froze, then realizing what Natani meant, he nodded. "So we can't go back..."

A loud buzzing noise filled the air, startling nearly everyone. It was a sound like a metal chain on metal gears, and it was getting closer. Laura crumpled to the ground in terror, covering her ears. The other Keidran quickly covered their ears as well. The sound was equally painful to Keith, but he stepped between Laura and where he sensed the noise was.

Keith was about to speak when he felt Trace's hand on his shoulder. "Go take care of Laura. I can handle this." Trace nearly had to shout it so Keith could hear him, but the Basitin hesitantly complied.

Then the noise changed, becoming slightly muffled and the sound of splintering wood joined it. There was a creak and a groan as a nearby tree collapsed. After a few seconds, another tree followed the first. Trace could hear someone shouting behind the metallic cacophony. Then he saw her as she stepped over a fallen tree, and there was no doubt that she saw him too. She tugged on the strange blade she held, and the noise suddenly ceased. It looked to Trace like the edge of the blade had been vibrating, or perhaps had a metal chain running around it. He hoped he would survive long enough to find out.

The young woman herself had grey skin, yellow eyes, and a mess of black hair. Sprouting from somewhere under her hair were two bright horns, yellow at the tip and more reddish closer to the base. She wore a black shirt with a strange green symbol on the chest, and a bright red skirt. Her mouth slowly turned into a smile, revealing two sharp fangs.

As soon as Trace found the words, he spoke them. "Who are you?"

Her eyes narrowed on him. "Kanaya Maryam. Now Introduce Yourself."

* * *

**Not far away...**

"Vezon, what's going on?"

The spineless Skakdi jumped out from his hiding spot and turned to see who had spoken. Whoever they were, they had managed to sneak up on him, and he didn't like that. Avak reached out from his own hiding spot a knocked Vezon on the forehead.

"Idiot! There almost in earshot! They'll be visible in less than a minute! Get down!"

Vezon reluctantly did as he was told, only to be usurped by Zaktan. "I'm here, you two. We have a problem."

Avak groaned. "Do we have to deal with it right this moment?"

Zaktan shook his head quickly. "Not if it disrupts your current objective, but it must be dealt with as soon as possible. I managed to get everything I needed, as well as some extras, but there was a... disturbance."

Vezon, who had finally found a place to sit, rested his chin on his hands. "What kind of disturbance?"

"Temporal and spacial. Which is why I came to you two. You're not doing anything with the mask, are you?"

Vezon brushed his clawed fingers against the Kanohi Olmak on his face, reminding himself yet again that he was permanently fused to the mask of dimensional travel. "Oh, this thing? I haven't been doing anything with it, but it still jumps around a bit without my consent. I've mostly got it under control though, and I can sense when it does act on it's own."

Avak jumped in. "So it wasn't you or the mask?" Vezon shook his head. Avak smiled. "So what happened, Zaktan?"

Zaktan shifted uncomfortably, the protodites that made up his body were obviously anxious. "Someone not from this universe, other than us, has come to this universe. I've seen similar creatures before."

Avak did a double-take. "Wait, you don't mean those things from..."

Zaktan finished for him, nodding. "The fleet. Yes, though it appears to be a juvenile."

Vezon shook his head. "Wasn't that the time we jumped dimensions with an army of Rahkshi chasing us? I thought the Rahkshi would have wiped those guys out."

Zaktan kicked at him. "I doubt their entire race lives on those ships. They likely had a homeworld somewhere. Regardless, there's one here and it could prove meddlesome."

Avak turned suddenly, then backed into his hiding spot. The others understood, and Vezon followed suit. Zaktan simply vanished, his swarm of protodites crawling off to some other place in near silence. The two remaining Piraka kept their eyes trained on a wall of bushes, waiting for their prey to step through.

* * *

**Still elsewhere...**

It was a quaint little house in the middle of the woods, that had belonged to a hunter and his wife. Both were now deceased, their bodies left where they had been slain in the bedroom. They had been sleeping when it happened, when the intruder had entered the room and crushed them under his foot. For sure, the intruder was far from human, and so was his accomplices.

Thok had piled all the cushions and furniture into a corner and was now resting on top of the pile. The room was of a good size by human standards, but only one of the other Piraka could fit in at the same time as Thok. He took advantage of this by making sure no one really wanted to join him, sprawling out so much that any visitor would have to stand crouched in the doorway.

Reidak had claimed the kitchen as his residence, but had ended up regretting it as soon as he found how meager the store of food was. Unwilling to appear at a disadvantage to the others, he claimed to be perfectly content with his accommodations.

Vezok had found a pair of doors leading into the cellar from outside, quite pleased that they were big enough for him to pass through. Especially after finding that far more food was stored in the cellar than in the kitchen, he was eager to dwell there and keep the others out.

Hakann hadn't been content with the indoors, and so had taken to the roof. He sat on top of the house, his eyes keenly watching the land around them. He saw Zaktan approaching before the Piraka leader even left the tree cover. Hakann leaped down from the roof, landing in front of the door.

When Zaktan saw Hakann waiting for him, he sped up his pace and began talking. "Get yourselves ready. We're going to be leaving here soon. We have unexpected and unwanted visitors"

Before Hakann could respond, they heard a loud thud from the house. The sound came out of the doors to the cellar as well, so Zaktan figured Vezok had heard him. He was right, but it wasn't the purpose for the noise.

The doors burst open, revealing Vezok. "Unwanted visitors, you say? Wait, let me guess. Those multicolored blooded creatures with the fleet, right?"

Hakann looked to Zaktan. "It's not those things, is it? Some of those were quite difficult to kill, even for us."

Zaktan nodded reluctantly. "It is. What made you guess that, Vezok?"

Vezok shrugged. "Someone showed up and explained it to me. That's all."

Zaktan briefly showed surprise, but hid it instantly. "Who?"

To answer the question, another figure stepped out from behind Vezok. "Me."


	13. The Devil You Knew

**Earth Orbit****_, Daedalus_**

**Incursion: Day 1**

"_Boarding craft have attached to our hull on decks six and three! All hands ready for boarders!_"

Kyon gulped. "Remind me again what deck we're on."

Yuki stared blankly at him, her answer deadpan. "Six."

Before he could respond, Haruhi jumped up on a table in the center of the room. "Aliens are attacking us and trying to get to Earth! We have a duty to stop them! SOS Brigade, let's go!" She proceeded to run for the door.

Kyon called after her. "I thought you wanted to make friends with aliens?"

She turned on him and yelled at him. "Friendly aliens! Do these ones look friendly? Didn't think so! We have to fight them!" She opened the door and ran out into the halls.

Kyon was about to run after her, but she flew back into the room and collided with a table. She crumpled onto the floor and grabbed her head, tears starting to form from the sudden pain. Kyon rushed to her side, only to be hit in the chest with something. He looked down at the pulsating object that had stuck to his tie and was now giving off a blue steam.

Yuki acted with lightning reflexes, grabbing Kyon's tie and ripping it off of his neck. She spun it like a sling and released, letting it fly back out the door. She quickly tackled Kyon to the ground as a blue explosion burst through the doorway. Everyone else in the room followed suit, hiding behind chairs and under tables, except for Mikuru who simply curled up in the back corner.

Kyon jumped to his feet and dragged Haruhi out of the line of fire. "Haruhi, are you okay? Can you stand?"

Her eyes shot open and she glared at him. "Of course I can stand! That bastard's going to pay for throwing me like a toy! I want to SOS Brigade right behind me this time! Otherwise; PENALTY!" She stuck her finger right between his eyes and shoved him back, getting up on her own. She wobbled a bit at first, but seemed fine after that.

Kyon got to wondering what could have thrown her like that, but instantly regretted wondering that. It, or one just like it, stepped through the door and eyed the group of teens like they were meat for it's supper. It looked like an ape. A big, ugly, monstrous ape. To make matters worse it had a gun, which it pointed directly at Haruhi. Kyon couldn't move fast enough to get her out of the way. Yuki couldn't even move that fast.

But someone was behind the beast. Someone had walked up behind it without it's noticing, and they were armed. They moved to take it down, a large serrated knife cutting through the back of the creature's legs and spraying red on the floor. The brutish ape fell to it's knees, only for the knife to come out of it's throat after being forced through the back of it's neck, severing it's spine and effectively ending it's life. It collapsed on the floor in front of them, revealing their savior.

Kyon couldn't breathe. He had hoped it was a member of the _Daedalus' _crew, or maybe Koizumi. Heck, a giant cricket would be better. Instead, he found himself almost wishing he'd stayed in Japan.

The familiar girl smiled at them, blood still dripping from the knife in her hand. "Hello, everyone! How nice to see you all again!"

Kyon couldn't make himself speak the name, but he knew it well. He decided that, yes, Japan would have been better than this. This was hell. Maybe not to everyone, but it was to him. He was in hell, and the devil was Ryoko Asakura.

* * *

Itsuki Koizumi ran around a corner, skidded to a stop, and quickly went back around the corner. Splashes of green plasma hit the wall where he had been a second earlier. Two squat aliens yelled at him ferociously and advanced. He heard their approach and readied the gun Colonel Mitchell had given him. He hadn't fired one before, but he had a general idea of how they worked, possibly best out of the whole brigade.

The first alien turned the corner only to have a gun thrust in it's face. Koizumi pulled the trigger. There was a loud bang, louder than he had expected, and the alien lurched backward in a spray of blue blood. Koizumi dropped the gun and rubbed his wrist, as the recoil had been far more powerful than he had expected. The other alien stepped out of cover and aimed it's gun at him. He dived for his pistol just as green blasts of plasma flew over his head. Now on the ground, he grabbed the pistol and, ready for the recoil this time, fired up at the alien standing over him. It screamed in pain and fell over sideways, splats of blue coming from it's chest.

Standing up and taking a moment to catch his breath, he looked down at the weapons the aliens had used. He reached down and grabbed one, inspecting it just long enough to locate the trigger, and continued walking. He hadn't gotten very far when one of the doors ahead of him exploded outwards. He jumped back just in time to avoid being hit by the metal door as it hit the opposite wall and fell back and onto the floor. He noticed, with a hint of distress, what looked like a fist-shaped dent in the door.

He backed up as someone stepped into the hall and faced him. Whoever it was, it at least looked vaguely humanoid. It wasn't much taller than him, but seemed to tower over him regardless. It's skin was grey, not much different from the halls of the _Daedalus. _He noted that it also had horns sticking out of it's head, one of which was pointed like an arrow, though the other was broken. It looked down at him, as if it were about to squash him, and spoke.

"More Humans? Your species is pathetic."

Another one stepped behind it. They were obviously the same species, but the second one was smaller and looked much less threatening. Strangely, it was wearing a blue hat with a cat face on it. The second one prodded the first in the back.

"Equius, don't squish Humans. They're good, remember?"

The first one turned on his smaller counterpart. "Of course I remember. You don't need to remind me."

Koizumi raised a finger and cleared his throat. "If we've established that Humans are good, then maybe you could help me. We are under attack from an alien race that has hostile intentions."

The bigger one looked down at him again. After a short pause, he finally spoke. "Hostile alien forces... I'll help, but don't assume this means I'm taking orders from you." He turned and started walking away. "Let's get moving."

Before Koizumi could follow, the smaller creature's hand shot out towards him. She practically yelled at him. "Hi! I'm Nepeta! What's your name?"

He quickly realized she had blue cat paws on her hands and feet, though he could tell they were just part of a costume. He shook her hand politely, though he judged that she hadn't expected that exact response from her reaction, and answered. "Itsuki Koizumi." He pointed down the hall where Equius had gone. "He's headed in the right direction, so we should try to catch up."

She grinned, basically refusing to stop being cheerful. "Okay. He'll be happier once he's squashed some bad guys." On the other hand, she noticed he wasn't smiling, and set out to resolve that problem. "Come on, Itsuki! Smile! It's an adventure!"

He let himself smile a little, but explained his situation to her. "It's a little difficult, you know, as my home was just destroyed. I'm normally much cheerier, but I hope you'll understand in this case."

Equius turned around the corner and crossed his arms, chastising Nepeta. "It requires extremely little examination for me to determine that this is not so much an adventure as it is a horrible turn of events. You don't want to be here any more than I do. Understood?"

She grinned at him, making her face very closely imitate the cat face on her hat. "Purrhaps. But what purrpose would not having fun have?"

He was about to respond, and from the look on his face it was likely not going to be in favor of Nepeta, when a metal spike buried itself in his shoulder. He cried out in pain and turned to his attacker, blue blood running down his arm. In front of him stood a tall ape-like beast. It raised it's gun to fire again, but stopped when it noticed his horns and the color of his blood.

It spoke in a deep guttural voice. "What are you doing here? The queen's fleet is still at High Chari-"

Equius cut it off by smashing his fist into it's face. The creature's neck snapped and it collapsed onto the deck. Equius looked to Koizumi. "I may require medical assistance with this injury, but first tell me what this creature is."

Koizumi shrugged, dropping his smile again. "I have never seen anything like it before."

* * *

Haruhi laughed loudly, surprising everyone. "It's a Brute!"

Asakura looked at her quizzically. "This creature is not from our universe..." She smiled again, clasping her hands, with the knife, behind her. "But I suppose I should not be surprised that you know what it is regardless."

Kyon shot her a glare, then turned to Haruhi. "How do you know that?"

She went to grab his tie, but stopped when she realized it was gone. She folded her arms and turned away from him. "Stupid Kyon. Don't you play video games? It's a Brute. From Halo!"

Judging from the reactions around the room, it seemed only Haruhi played video games... or at least those kinds. The ship shook as a blast of plasma hit the shields, spurring a reaction from someone behind Kyon. Whoever it was just started whining about alien monsters coming to kill him. The sound was drowned out when Haruhi yelled again.

"Hey, Ryoko! Wanna join the SOS Brigade? We're gonna help defend Earth from alien invaders!" She jumped forward and stuck her face right in Asakura's. "You can't tell me you've never wanted to defend Earth from aliens, can you?"

Though the irony was lost on Haruhi, Asakura simply glanced at Kyon and smiled. "I cant really say it crossed my mind, but sure. I'd love to."

Then Haruhi started wobbling. She fell onto her back, but Kyon managed to catch her. She looked up at him groggily. "Ow... my head hurts."

He grimaced. "Yeah, maybe you should think about taking a rest instead of charging towards an alien army."

"The hell I will!" She pulled herself away from him, wobbling a bit more, but finally managed to regain her balance. She struck a dramatic pose, jabbing her finger in the air, and yelled again. "SOS Brigade! As your leader, I declare that it is time to move out! We have to make sure that the Brute boarders do not take this ship, so that it may continue to battle their space craft!"

Kyon covered his face with his hand. Not only was Asakura back, but Haruhi was practically forcing him to work with her. Worse, he could tell she was still in pain from hitting her head. He hoped ignoring was the best thing for her to do, but he feared what would happen if it got worse.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This begins the most difficult parts of the story, as I believe I may have some trouble properly portraying the Homestuck Trolls. I will try my best.


	14. Fissure

**Earth, Madagascar airspace**

**Incursion: Day 1**

Adrian reclined in his seat. It was a private jet, so he only had to share with three other people. Those people were his bodyguard, a beautiful woman, and an artificial intelligence. The last of the three technically took the most room, as most of the plane consisted of the computer components required for him to run properly.

Elena Lavender sat across from Adrian, a mini computer on her lap. She glanced up at him. "Adrian, a fissure has opened in South Africa... nearly a mile wide and over two hundred miles in length. It's still expanding, and if it continues at this rate in the direction it's going it'll crack Madagascar in half."

Adrian ran his fingers through his hair. "Isn't there some water between Africa and Madagascar?"

She rolled her eyes. "The Earth is splitting open and fire is gushing out. I might suggest that that water won't stay there for long. The core of the Earth is pretty hot."

He nodded. "Stupid question. Alright then..." Adrian spoke loudly, as if addressing the room itself. "Change course to Cuba and tell Sandy to do the same. Then contact Sasha and tell her we'll be dropping by."

A computerized voice answered back. "_Done and done. Wisper and Calastar will be moments behind us. The others will be there before us. Adrian. John Smith will be there with his team. What will we do?_"

Adrian shook his head. "If we can't convince him to let us leave with him, we'll have to kill him." He looked back to Elena, who barely moved at his statement. "Maybe the other way around."

The computer spoke again. "_If we are to make it to Cuba in the allotted time, we will need to go faster._"

Adrian sighed. He knew what that meant. "So it'll be a bumpy ride. Make it so."

* * *

**Earth, Kilimanjaro Base**

"Sir, there's a fissure opening up near us. It's headed in our direction!"

Derek looked down at the readout. "Damn. That's not the one that opened in South Africa."

Sleet shook her head. "No sir! This one's bigger and it's moving faster! We gotta split or it'll send us halfway through the mantle!"

Derek grabbed the mic for announcements. "All hands evacuate through the portal! This whole mountain's coming down it a matter of minutes!"

Sarka grabbed Sleet by the shoulder, pulling her out of her chair. "That means us too, fuzzball. General, are you gonna let the ships in orbit know where Kubrax is now?"

Derek nodded. "Might as well while I'm waiting for everyone else to get out."

Sarka looked back at Lou, who had been standing at the back of the room. The bald soldier nodded to them, picked up his gear, and led the way. "Clear out, team. We're going to need to regroup before we can come back and assess the situation."

Derek opened up communication to the other side of the portal. "Alex, you still there?"

"_Yes sir!_"

"Good. We're evacuating through the portal. Take care of everyone until I get there."

"_Evacuating? Why?_"

"The mountain's coming down. The portal is going to be buried in a matter of minutes. I'm going to send the new coordinates for Kubrax to the fleet. That way they can find you no matter what happens here. Understand your orders?"

"_Stay put until the fleet shows up? Understood, sir._"

* * *

**Earth, Cuban airspace**

They all knew about what was happening, and when John called them in they went. Due to the sudden global crisis, all air traffic had been ceased. This gave them the opportunity to grab a plane and make their way to Cuba, the nearest portal island. Melany and Madine flew the plane, so the others just sat back in first class and talked about anything that came to mind.

Rix was busying herself with a handheld game. Tsun just sat quietly at the back. Miru and Lillin Jackson sat near the front, talking back and forth. Tholix constantly pestered Loro, though she didn't particularly mind. John leaned against the door, watching everyone else. His mind was occupied, hoping they would make it to the portal in time.

Madine's voice came from the speakers, causing them all to stop and listen. "_Strap yourselves in. We're landing._"

Melany's voice followed shortly. "_Also, we've got company. There's a fighter jet hanging on our tail. Not making any moves, but they might follow us down when we land._"

Despite having been told to strap in and hold on, no one moved. As they were landing, only Rix paid the price by dropping her game in the turbulence. John opened the door as Madine and Melany made their way back from the cockpit. He looked around and frowned.

"The stairs are way over there." He pointed out across the air field to a vehicle with a staircase on it. "Who wants to get it?"

Tholix pushed him aside. "I say fuck it! Let's just jump!"

John nodded. "Fair enough, but you go last."

Loro leapt out. "Then I'm first." She landed softly far below them and looked back up. "You jump next, John. I'll catch you."

He rolled his eyes, but jumped anyway. Loro caught like promised, then put him down and ran toward a nearby hanger. She called back as she went. "I'll power up the portal. You catch the others that need it."

John looked up just in time to see Madine jump out. He reached up and caught her, setting her down and moving into position to catch Lillin. He continued this pattern with Tsun, then Miru. He looked back up to see Rix leap out. She landed beside him, smoothed back her hair, then ran after Loro. Melany jumped out next, aiming for John and making him catch her despite being fully capable of taking the distance all by herself.

Tholix called down. "Now you're all gonna want to book it!"

They took the suggestion and ran toward the hanger. Moments later, the plane exploded behind them. Tholix landed on the pavement and started running. They reached the hanger in time to see a large circular section of the hanger floor slide apart to reveal what appeared to be a shimmering pool of black liquid. The others were standing around the portal, looking down into the oily black.

John laughed at the faces most of them were making. "Never seen it before, I take it." He stepped up behind Miru and Lillin and shoved them in. They screamed, then disappeared. He moved behind Madine and shoved her in next.

Tholix ran up beside John. "That other plane just landed. What do you want to bet it's some of Adrian's cohorts."

John shoved her in after the others. She made a squeak, but he knew she'd be fine. He ran to Loro and pushed her in, already moving on to Melany. She held up her hands to stop him.

"I can sense two other planes not far off. Probably the rest of Adrian's team. We should keep them from following us."

He smiled, then shoved her in. He looked to Tsun and Rix. "I need your help to make sure Bromine gets through if he's with them. I might let the rest through as well. Depends on how nicely they ask."

They nodded and turned to the hanger doors. As if on queue, Sasha Romanov and Nara Vandekut ran into view. They stopped when they saw who they were facing. The two sides stood opposite each other. John didn't know what anyone else was doing, but he was waiting for Bromine. The sound of engines outside told him that another plane had landed.

Just like clockwork, Adrian stepped into view only a couple minutes later. He had Elena and his bodyguard Turk behind him. He smiled. "Looks like you're outnumbered, John. What's up?"

John didn't even look his way. "I'm waiting for a friend. After he gets through the portal, I'll let you follow."

Adrian turned to look behind him as Sandy Wisper and Bromine Calastar arrived. He nodded to Bromine. "It appears he's willing to let us through without any trouble so long as you go first."

Bromine looked around cautiously. After determining it was better to follow through than to ask questions, he nodded back to Adrian and walked toward the portal. Suddenly, an alert crackled through the air in a computerized voice.

"_Adrian. Another fissure like the one in Africa is headed our way. I don't have time to get out of the plane. Goodbye._"

Behind Adrian, Nara pulled her saw off her back and threw it with deadly accuracy. Reacting instantly, Bromine ducked under the serrated blade and spun around. Green energy crackled around his fingers and flew back at Nara. It slammed into her and knocked her to the ground, her muscles convulsing.

Adrian ducked back behind Turk. "Dammit, Nara! Elena, take them down!"

Elena responded, her hands suddenly wreathed in purple energy. She launched her dark lightning at Bromine, who deflected with his own power. Sandy and Sasha drew their guns and opened fire, only to have their shots deflected similarly.

John walked up behind Bromine. "Come on! Let's go!"

Rix dodged around Sandy's shots as they came, running on all four of her paws with her claws extended. When she reached her target, she skidded to a halt and batted the gun out of Sandy's hands. She then wrapped her hands around the blonde woman's head and twisted. Sandy dropped to the ground instantly.

Rix kept moving, ducking under a large knife. She jabbed up at the knife's owner, snapping Sasha's head back. Sasha came back with a stab, but Rix grabbed her wrist and crushed it in her hands. Sasha cried out and fell back. Having recovered quickly, Nara jumped over Sasha's head and kicked Rix in the face. The Tiger girl flew back and tumbled head over heels before finally coming to a stop.

Before the fight could continue, the sound of twisting metal stole everyone's attention. Adrian looked out at the landing strip and saw the ground disappearing. The end of the strip crumbled and fell away into nothingness, taking a fighter jet with it. Another hanger on the other side of the strip collapsed into the abyss, followed shortly by the private jet he had arrived in.

John saw this too. "Yeah... time to go." He threw Bromine behind him. The man fell into the portal and vanished. "Tsun! Get Rix!"

Rix jumped up. "I'm not waiting that long." She bolted to the portal and jumped in on her own. Tsun followed right behind her.

John turned back to Adrian to see his team running his direction, the growing fissure right on their heels. The ground cracked between him and them, but Adrian leaped across the crack just as it turned into a gap. Then the ground fell.

Sasha disappeared into the pit, her screams all but drowned out by Nara and Elena's as they grabbed the edge of the new ravine. Turk pulled himself up and moved to help Nara onto safe ground. Adrian dived forward and caught Elena's hand just as she lost grip. To Adrian's surprise, John reached down and helped him pull Elena to safety. The three of them ran and jumped into the portal, Turk and Nara right behind them.

Moments after everyone was through, the hanger collapsed into the abyss as well, taking the portal with it.

* * *

**Earth Orbit, ****_Daedalus_**

Ryoko Asakura stepped out into the hallway, in plain sight of a trio of aliens Haruhi had identified as Grunts. They turned to her and fired their plasma pistols, but the green blasts of energy only splashed against the wall. Ryoko ducked under the shots and bolted back around a corner. The first Grunt that rounded the corner received a kick to his face, knocking his methane breather off. He collapsed to the ground and dropped his pistol as he choked on the unbreathable air.

Haruhi clapped at Tsuruya's successful attack. "Nice kick! I want the next one!"

Kyon shouted from the back of the group. "You're insane! We're all gonna die if we keep going like this!"

The other two grunts backed away from the corner, watching the twitching body of their fallen comrade. They were so focused on what was ahead of them that they didn't hear someone approaching from behind. It wouldn't have mattered, as the person behind them was a skilled hunter with a lifetime of stealth practice. Long sharp claws cut through the backs of their necks, and the squat aliens fell to the ground in a mess of blue blood.

Nepeta opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped by Equius. "Forgo your typical excruciatingly painful cat-related puns. Now is not the time."

Haruhi peered around the corner to see the dead Grunts and the two new arrivals. She jumped out in front of them upon realizing that they weren't human. "We found the friendly aliens!"

Equius just stared at her, but Nepeta waved with a toothy grin plastered on her face. Haruhi ran up to meet them, with Kyon right behind her. Tsuruya dragged Mikuru out from hiding as well. Ryoko and Yuki followed them, with Kunakida and Taniguchi eventually joining the group. Haruhi grabbed both their hands simultaneously and shook furiously, her mouth going so fast that no one understood the words they assumed she was saying.

Koizumi stepped out behind the two Trolls, smiling pleasantly. "Oh. Hello, Haruhi. I seem to have found some aliens for you."

She released her victims and pounced Koizumi with a hug. "Yes you did! A million points for you!" She turned to Kyon. "See! That's why he's the vice-chief and you're a lowly lackey! He found some aliens for me to be friends with!"

There was a short hissing sound, followed by two more. Haruhi turned back to Koizumi in time to see him collapse to the ground with three long metal spikes sticking out of his chest.


	15. A Common Enemy

**Mekkan, outside Edinmire**

**Incursion: Day 1**

"_Do as I have asked and you shall be rewarded in the end._"

Zaktan would have growled to himself at this point, but he needed to remain silent. He was too close to them now. He had to admit that he was genuinely impressed at how quiet the other Piraka were being. Hakann, Vezok, Thok, and Reidak had all been completely silent in their approach.

That's not to say their prey didn't have something else on their minds. The sounds of an ambush were coming from nearby as Avak and Vezon surprised their own targets. This would give them a distraction they could take advantage of, so now was the time to attack. Zaktan's body turned into a green cloud of protodites, which started to hum and buzz angrily, and swarmed into the clearing.

The green Piraka slowly returned to his normal form in front of the fox he had made the deal with. "Good to see you again, and so soon too." Every eye was watching him, but he turned in the direction of the ambush. "If I were you, I would investigate that." With that, the swarm dispersed.

There was silence among the group. The silence was short-lived and quickly broken Evals and Mike, who yelled out at the same time. "What the heck was that?!"

Trace started in the direction that had been indicated. "I don't know, but I think we'll have a better chance at finding out if we do what it said. Keith. Natani. I may need your help. The rest of you hang back."

The gray-skinned girl grinned. "I Will Accompany You As Well."

Trace nodded. "Good. Let's go."

The four charged through the underbrush, Trace at the head of the group. He created a barrier out of magic that plowed through any plant life that got in the way. It wasn't long before they arrived at the scene of the ambush, but Trace stopped them just before they jumped into the open. They watched from just out of sight, though the noise they had made was sure to have given away their approach.

What caution they used, however, didn't seem necessary. The fight was over, if there had indeed been any in the first place. Sprawled on the ground were six people, Keidran and Human, all unconscious by the look of them. Trace jumped out into the open and ran to the side of a blue-haired girl.

"It's Maren... I think she's alright, but..."

Natani ran past them to Keidran Wolf, saying something in the Keidran language. Keith translated, grimacing at the message. "It's his brother, Zen."

A red-haired man groaned and sat up. "What the hell was that?" He looked around and, seeing a white Keidran Wolf, he scrambled over to her. "Raine! Raine, wake up! Are you okay?"

Trace called over to him. "Hey! Uh... what's your name?"

The man turned to him, still a little dizzy. "What?" He tried to stand, but fell back onto the ground. "Whoa... don't try standing. The world's still spinning." He blinked a few times and looked back up to Trace. "Oi... Where'd you come from?"

Trace shook his head and turned to Kanaya. "Go get the others."

She rolled her eyes, but did as he said. "I Shall Return Shortly."

Trace moved over to check on a small green-haired girl he recognized as Maren's sister Karen. She coughed and opened her eyes, staring up at Trace with a vacant expression. Next to her, the last of the Keidran Wolves sat up, rubbing his head. He saw Trace and growled.

"You again... Is Flora still with you?"

Trace looked up at him. "Oh... Sythe, right?" The Wolf nodded. "Um, yes. Flora should be here any time now."

As if on queue, Flora burst out into the open. "Trace, what happened?"

Kanaya appeared beside her. "I Already Informed You That We Arrived After The Conflict."

Eric and Kat stepped into view next, followed by Lynn and Maddie. Keith walked around them and took Laura's hand, guiding her into the open with him. Mike and Evals hung back, being cautious of the clearing.

Trace shook Maren awake. She grumbled and pulled herself up, cradling her head. "Ow... I feel like a dragon's been chewing on my head."

Kanaya knelt down beside her. "Can You Identify Your Assailant?"

Maren shook her head. "No, I... I'm not even so sure we were attacked. Whatever hit me, I never saw it coming."

* * *

Avak watched from a safe distance. He had trapped all six of his targets simultaneously. Before any of them figured out what was going on, he and Vezon had set about whacking heads. It wasn't very hard to knock these creatures out. The real challenge was doing so without killing them, but they had managed. Zaktan had shown up then, telling them that the plan had changed. They were to set a trap, and they had. Now was the time to strike.

Hakann made the first move, lashing out with a mental stab. The entire group reeled. Laura and Kat passed out immediately, while the others were left in agonizing pain. Trace tried to concentrate enough to put up a shield of energy, but failed. In order to avoid any further such attempts, Thok's spellbinder vision washed over the group, disorienting them further. Then the Piraka moved in.

Vezok brought his fists down on the heads of Mike and Evals, and they collapsed. Trace and Natani turned to him, each preparing their own attack, and Keith drew his sword. Reidak appeared behind Keith and backhanded him, sending him flying into Natani. Both fell to the ground unconscious. As Trace turned to face another foe, Thok approached from another angle. He prodded Lynn's back with his weapon, freezing the Basitin solid. Before he could do the same to Maddie, Zaktan shoved past him and hurled the younger Basitin into a tree.

Sythe jumped up and gripped his spear. "Red, get your sword!"

The red-haired man did as told, but offered an angry retort. "Stop calling me that!"

Avak jumped into the fray, swatting Eric into unconsciousness, then kicking at Maren. Due to the sheer size of his clawed foot he managed to hit Karen as well, knocking both out again. Hakann joined in, striking Sythe in the face with a fist and sending him flying into Kanaya. Sythe was down, but the Troll just got angry.

The sound of Kanaya's chainsaw filled the air, but all attention quickly went to Vezon. The spineless Piraka ran into view, pointing frantically at the mask attached to his face. Hakann and Reidak exchanged a worried look, but it was Zaktan who voiced his concern.

The leader of the Piraka groaned. "Here we go again."

* * *

**Mobius, Downunda**

The entire scene that had moments ago been on Mekkan suddenly appeared worlds away on Mobius, courtesy of Vezon's Kanohi Olmak. There was a moment of awkward silence, with most of the Piraka glaring at Vezon.

The silence was short-lived, and taken advantage of by Trace. He fired a lance of blue energy into Avak, scorching his armor and knocking him back. Sythe followed his example and threw his spear into Vezok's stomach. It wedged between two armor plates and pierced the organic flesh underneath. Vezok howled in pain at the wound, but ripped the spear out and crushed it to splinters in his hands.

Hakann swung his arm at Kanaya, intending to slash across her face with his claws. She ducked under his arm and cut into it with her chainsaw. That was the last straw, as the Piraka began to back off. There were only five still standing against the seven towering beasts, but they had won the round. They had made the Piraka think twice about pressing the attack further.

The round was over, but the fight was not. Hakann's eyes flashed, sending arcs of lethal energy into Lynn. The ice he was trapped in shattered and, to the horror of the few remaining, so did he. Thok lunged forward, moving to chop down on the unconscious form of Raine with his weapon.

'Red' jumped in the way of Thok's attack, blocking with his sword. He saved Raine, but Thok's strength was too much for him to hold back. The weapon pushed down on his sword and cut into his shoulder. Thok moved to the side and batted the young man away. He hit the ground a few meters away and stopped moving.

Trace fired another lance of energy into Thok, throwing him onto his back. Behind him, Reidak moved to strike at Flora. She screamed for Trace's help, but he wasn't fast enough.

Zaktan's blade appeared around Reidak's neck. The green Piraka threw his black companion to the ground and fixed the others with a venomous glare. "I said we would not kill them! I need subjects for my experiment."

"Experiment On This."

Zaktan turned in time to see Kanaya throw her chainsaw like a javelin. It passed right through his head, and he just grinned wickedly as the protodites moved back into place. The buzzing weapon landed on Reidak, sending sparks off his armor.

He stomped the ground in front of Kanaya, causing her to stumble back. He quickly reached down and scooped up the two nearest people, which were Kat and Laura. "Vezon, open a portal. Intentional this time so that we go where we want to. Everyone else, grab two and bring them with us. This power they possess could be exactly what I'm looking for." Vezon's portal opened and Zaktan disappeared with his captives in tow before anyone could try to stop him.

Thok was about to reach in and grab Flora when a jet of flames shot across in front of him. He yelped in pain and jumped back. The other Piraka looked for the source of the attack.

Blaze stood in front of the enraged Piraka, her hands wreathed in fire. "I could waste my time melting you down, but seeing as there's an unstoppable horde right behind me I think it would be in all our best interests to leave as quickly as possible."

Avak focused on something distant, using his telescopic and x-ray vision. "Oh... I think I'll take you up on your offer." He turned and walked through the portal.

Slowly, growling, the other Piraka turned and stepped through, vanishing into the darkly colored portal. Vezon went through last, and Trace was about to charge in after them when the portal closed.

He yelled in frustration. "No! They have Kat and Laura! We need to go after them!"

Kanaya shook her head. "Then We Would Be Just As Outmatched, Only On Their Home Turf. I Am Afraid There Is Nothing We Can Do For Them."

"Red!" Sythe ran over to his fallen friend. "Come on, man! You need to get up! We got more trouble coming!"

Blaze looked behind her and nodded to the Mobian Koala that was approaching. "Did you get it?"

Barbie held up a warp ring. "Took a bit longer than I expected, but we should be able to get to Mobotropolis with this. There's no reason to come back here, so..."

Blaze took the ring and tossed it in the air. It grew large enough to step through and floated upright just above the ground. She turned to Trace. "I know you just lost some friends, but you can still save everyone else. Come with us. There are people where we're going that might be able to help you."

Trace took a moment to calm down, then nodded. "You're right. Kanaya, you go first and make sure it's clear."

She picked her chainsaw off the ground, shaking her head disapprovingly at the dents in it's chassis. "The Vicinity Will Be Cleared Before Your Arrival. I Promise."

"Good. Sythe, I need you to..." He looked over to Sythe. The Wolf was sitting on the ground beside his friend's body. Trace stepped toward him. "Sythe... is he..."

Sythe nodded grimly. "He's dead."

Trace was stunned, so Kanaya took over until he recovered. "Flora, Once I Am Through You Must Count To Ten. Then Carry One Of The Others Into The Portal With You. Do You Understand?"

Flora sobbed, but nodded. "Okay. I will."

Kanaya looked to Blaze. "After She Has Followed Me, You Need To Begin Sending The Others To Us. We Will Carry Them Out Of The Way So That You May Follow."

Blaze nodded. "Agreed, but we must hurry."

Without another word, Kanaya stepped into the warp ring. Ten seconds later, Flora dragged Karen through. Blaze got Trace and Sythe to help her and Barbie send the rest through. They were about to turn to bring their fallen friend when they spotted a dark line bearing down on them.

Blaze shook her head. "No time to go back for him. Let's go before it's too late."

The two Mobians stepped into the portal, followed by Sythe. Trace gave one look back over the spots where he lost his companions. He looked longer at where the Piraka had left, vowing to never give up on finding Laura and Kat. He would be the one to tell Eric and Keith what happened, and he would be the one to push toward finding them. No one else would die if he could prevent it.


	16. Breaking Covenant

**High Charity**

**Incursion: Day 1**

The word spread quickly, along with the plan. Unggoy whispered to each other in their own tongue, sending along the message right under the noses of the Brutes. Many did not like the thought of leaving the Covenant, but whether they would help or not was not the only thing of concern. Those that refused were convinced to keep quiet, the thoughts of the many "accidents" that could befall them keeping them occupied.

The Arbiter watched with a odd hint of pride as the Grunts carried out the plan that had been laid out by their own kind. The Elites had a plan their own that would play out in tandem with the others. The Hunters had silently sworn allegiance to the rebellion as well, but the new races tipped the balance in a bad way.

The Trolls followed their queen, but they adhered to a strict social hierarchy based solely on blood color. The lower castes should have been easy enough to sway, but something kept them in line with their queen's orders. All that aside, they weren't the ones he was concerned with.

The Troll queen hadn't been forthcoming with information regarding the origin of the Rahkshi, but what he knew was bad enough. They would easily be a rival force to the Hunters. Fortunately, when it came to numbers, the Hunters were superior. This left the troubling question of how many more Rahkshi the queen could summon if pressed.

The Brutes were a concern as well, of course, but the Elites knew their tactics well enough to make it an even fight. The same could be said for the Jackals and the Drones, but the Rahkshi and Trolls presented another problem in this area. The Arbiter, along with everyone else planning on turning against the Covenant, could only hope that the Elites had the skill, the Hunters had the strength, and the Grunts had the numbers that would ultimately allow them to claim victory.

He was stirred from his musings when one of his kin stepped to his side. The other Elite wore the silvery white armor of a Ship Master. One of the mandibles on the left side of his face was damaged, probably lost in some conflict years before the two had met. His fingers brushed the handle of his plasma sword, ready and waiting for the battle to begin and anticipating slicing open some Brutes. Regardless of his own wishes, he had come with a different purpose.

"Arbiter. We should be ready to strike within the hour. Are you prepared?"

He gave a small nod. "Are the ships ready to depart?"

"Many believe it would shame them if they retreated, but they have prepared the ships all the same."

"Good. We will not retreat unless we find ourselves outmatched, but those that would rather stay and fight even then may do so. They will be greatly honored."

"I will tell them." The Ship Master took a step closer, falling silent as a group of Jackals stalked past. Once they were gone, he spoke again. "However, there is another matter. I am unsure what to make of it."

The Arbiter grunted. "You seek my advice?"

"As the Arbiter, yes."

"About what?"

"You'd best come and see her for yourself. She promises to help us, but I cannot fathom why." He began to walk away, indicating that the Arbiter should follow. He led the Arbiter to a place far from anywhere either of them would normally go.

Elites of every rank stood guard down every hallway, and the Arbiter sensed that there were more and more of them the closer they got to their destination. They eventually came to a door with a dozen spec-ops Elites stationed outside. They saluted the Arbiter and the Ship Master, then returned to their watch.

The Ship Master turned to the Arbiter. "I have put a lot of soldiers into guarding this. The assistance offered may not be worth the trouble, but if anyone still loyal to the Prophets found her, we would be the ones under attack."

The Arbiter's interest piqued. "A Human?"

"It would appear so..." The door opened, revealing what indeed looked like a Human. The Ship Master shook his head. "However, she claims to be something else."

The Arbiter studied her carefully. She was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the small room and, by all appearances, she was a young Human, but he couldn't help feeling like something was off. He decided to address her directly. "How you differ from a Human is of no concern to me. How can you help us?"

She looked up at him, showing no fear despite being surrounded by members of a race that had slaughtered her own... unless, of course, she wasn't really Human. She stood up slowly, never breaking eye contact with him. She didn't say anything, but instead lifted her hand up between them. Slowly, soundlessly, her hand started glowing a bright green. Her fingers began changing, growing longer until it looked as if she could wrap her hand all the way around his torso. The fingers had suddenly turned into claws, which she proudly waved around in front of him.

Only then did she speak. A good thing, for he was speechless. "I control powers beyond the comprehension of any of your enemies, as well as many that they possess. The few exceptions include abilities displayed by the Rahkshi, such as manipulation of emotions such as fear and anger. With proper authorization, I can replicate any other power I have observed in them and the other race. Unfortunately, I have observed significantly less of the... Trolls."

The Arbiter had only one question. "Can you show me one of these powers?"

She gave a barely noticeable nod. Her hand slowly returned to normal, making him briefly consider that she had already shown him one of them. Regardless, she proceeded to display her power. She walked to the back wall of the room and placed her hand on it. She began speaking quietly, and whatever she said went by far too quickly for him to hear. The wall shimmered and rippled, then something came out of it. She took the object, leaving behind a hole that sparked from a number of severed wires.

She turned back to him and lifted the object up to him, presenting it like a gift. The object itself was fairly useless, a simple carving of an animal of some sort, but it was very definitely made of wood. She had changed the metals from the hull into wood.

She explained in one word. "Transmutation."

The door opened behind him, and a younger Elite wearing blue armor stepped in. "Ship Master. Arbiter. A fleet is approaching. They are like nothing we have ever seen before."

* * *

Her Imperious Condescension wasn't about to leave at the sight of another fleet. She watched the strangely shaped ships moving into formation while the Covenant's fleet did the same. In her mind, they were nothing of a threat.

An Elite called out from his station. "They are sending us a message."

Beside the queen, seated in his hovering throne, the Prophet of Truth nodded to the Elite. "Let us hear it."

The message came through loud and clear. "Attention. You are hereby ordered to either surrender your ships and weapons to the Galactic Empire, or swear allegiance to it. Resistance will be met with the full might of our fleet. You have one hour to respond."

The queen snorted at the message. "Idle threats. I do not believe they have the power to do any serious damage to us. Order all ships to open fire immediately."

The Elite looked to the Prophet of Truth. He grumbled something to himself, but nodded. "Do it."

* * *

**The ****_Executor_**

"Sir! They have opened fire!"

An officer wearing a gray uniform started ordering return fire. He paused and looked over to the figure standing at the window. It was a large figure dressed in black armor, with a dark cape flowing behind him. He called out to the figure again.

"Lord Vader! They have not heeded our warning."

The figure turned, his eyes piercing into the officer's soul from under his dark helmet. Darth Vader just looked at him, terrifying the man to some degree. "Let them fight." The voice was deep and ominous. "Follow through with the warning. Beat them down and take whatever remains for the Empire."

The man breathed a sigh of relief when Darth Vader finally looked away from him. Then he quickly went about following his orders.


End file.
